


Away Bones

by blancanieve



Series: Gone Bones [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Bones, Dubious Science, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Procedures, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 14:17:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4749491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blancanieve/pseuds/blancanieve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Bones are happily living together on the Enterprise after the events in Montana, when Bones is suddenly ordered to accept a temporary assignment at the Science Station on Althair II for a few days. Neither he or Jim are happy about being separated for the first time nor are they and the Enterprise crew prepared for what happens once Bones beams to the station.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story can be read as a stand alone, but the back story about how Jim and Bones got together is explained in my previous story, "Gone Bones".

**Away Bones**

**Chapter 1**

**“It’s good to feel you are close to me in the night, love,**

**invisible in your sleep, intently nocturnal, while I untangle my worries as if they**

**were twisted nets.**

**Withdrawn, your heart sails through dream,**

**but your body, relinquished so, breathes seeking me without seeing me**

**perfecting my dream like a plant that seeds itself in the dark.”**

**Pablo Neruda**

Jim sat in his Captain's chair on the bridge checking his daily reports and handing them one by one back to Janice Rand, his Yeoman. Alpha shift was well under way and it was very quiet. He glanced around the bridge; everyone was busy and on task. His thoughts went to all the important sections of his ship as he signed off on each report; Bridge, check; Engineering, check; Science, check; Quartermaster, check; Security, check; Mess, check; Recreation, check; Medical, check. He smiled to himself as he handed his last padd to Rand. "Thank you, Yeoman. That will be all."

"Aye, Sir."

He sat back in his Captain's chair, his back and butt cradled warmly and comfortably in its ergonomic perfection, and contemplated his life as it was now. He and Bones had been together for three months; these months had been the happiest of his entire life. Without any fanfare, quietly and discreetly, Bones had moved his belongs to the Captain's quarters; they had signed and sent in their change of status cohabitation form to Star Fleet HR, and they had quietly notified the crew of the change in their relationship. His entire crew had been delighted and unsurprised by the news. He and Bones agreed that the crew had probably known how they felt about each other even before _they_  knew about each other. No matter. Life was good…..no life was great! Going into his quarters and seeing Bones' belongings scattered with his own, gave Jim a frisson of quiet joy each time it happened. Looking around the quiet bridge, Jim wondered if he could manufacture an excuse to visit Medical. Bones usually came to the bridge mid morning to bring his report, but today he, Chapel, and Dr. M'Benga were busy with the quarterly physicals of all the department heads and bridge officers as well as the first physicals for the new crew members they had picked up last week.

Uhura's comm beeped and she answered it. She glanced over and caught Jim's eye. "Yes, Admiral. He's here. I'll inform him."

"Captain. Admiral Boyce would like to speak with you."

"With me?" Jim was surprised. Usually, when the head of SFM commed it was for Bones as the CMO of the ship.

"Yes, Sir. He specifically said the Captain. "

"Very well, Lieutenant. Pipe it to my ready room." Jim stood and nodded to Spook who came to sit in the Captain's chair. He pulled down his gold tunic and walked into his ready room.

He sat and opened his comm; Admiral's Boyce face filled the screen.

"Good morning, Admiral. How are you, Sir, and what can I do for you?" Jim asked.

"Good morning, Captain. Good to see you. We don't get a chance to speak very often. I understand that congratulations are in order for you and Dr. McCoy. We, here at Medical, were very happy to hear the news about your partnership status." Admiral Boyce smiled at Jim, his demeanor genial and relaxed.

Jim relaxed as well. _Not bad news then,_ he thought, thankfully.

"Yes. Thank you, Sir. We appreciate everyone's good wishes. Everything is going very well, Admiral. All quiet at the moment. We're on course and on time to deliver the stores and medicine to Althair as ordered."

"That's why I'm contacting you, Captain."

"Oh? A change of orders for Althair, Sir?"

"No, not a change of orders, Captain, just a little detour. We've had a request from Altair II from Dr. Erin Jasso, the Head of the Epidemiology **1** Science Station on the planet. As you probably know, Althair II is a colony planet; much smaller than Althair, but it is a Class M planet, quite beautiful, in fact, with a temperate climate, a good long growing season, and fertile soil. We have high hopes for the planet to develop into a major agricultural planet. Most of the 150,000 inhabitants who live there are humanoid; they are colonists mostly from Earth and from a few other class M planets. It's a viable and growing agricultural colony. The Epidemiology Science Station is 6 years old, one of several we have across the quadrant. Dr. Jasso has been there from the very beginning, in fact, since it was built. She's in charge of the whole shebang there."

"Yes, Sir." Jim sat still, waiting for the other shoe to drop. What did Dr. Boyce want with the _Enterprise_ _?_

"Dr. Jasso has made a request of me, Captain. During her last routine checkin, I mentioned that _Enterprise_ would be in the vicinity, and she asked if I would allow Dr. McCoy to visit the Science Station. Apparently, Dr. Jasso was one of Dr. mcCoy's professors back at the Academy. She has nothing but the highest praise for his work. She would like his opinion and expertise with an experiment she is presently conducting, and since you're going to be in the neighborhood, I agreed to it. You'll beam the doctor down to the Althair II, Science Station then go on to Althair to deliver the medicine and supplies, then pick him up on your way back. His stay should be no more than two or three days."

Jim nodded his head, keeping his face expressionless. S _hit, shit,_ he thought _. Bones is going to be off ship for three days!_ He and Bones had not been apart since Montana. Jim's stomach lurched at the thought of being without Bones, sleeping without Bones, eating without Bones, for three interminable days.

"Do you have any questions or concerns about Dr. McCoy going off ship for this short assignment, Captain?" Dr. Boyce's sharp glance warned Jim. He and Bones had to be very careful. Any indication that they could not keep their new relationship professional when it was required, would be grounds for a transfer for Bones. If Dr. Boyce wanted Bones to help Dr. Jasso, then so be it.

"No, Sir. I'm sure Dr. McCoy will be gratified to find out that Dr. Jasso asked for his help and expertise specifically. What is the experiment that Dr. Jasso is working on?" Gratified, ha! Jim knew that Bones was going to be royally pissed. He was going to grumble and complain that he had to leave his Med Bay and Jim even for a short while.

Dr. Boyce stance relaxed and he looked pleased at Jim's response. "I'm not quite sure, Captain. We didn't speak long. She just said she'd like another opinion from someone of Dr. McCoy's stature in research." He smiled at Jim. "Thank you for your cooperation, Captain. I'm sure Dr. M'Benga can handle things for the few days that Dr. McCoy is away. Would you like for me to speak with Dr. McCoy or will you do it?"

"I'll do it Admiral. There's no sense in our taking up your valuable time for a routine assignment request."

"Very good, Captain. I'll send you and Dr. McCoy the time frame for his temporary assignment and the coordinates of the Science Station and Dr. Jasso's contact information. We'll keep in touch. Boyce out."

Jim made sure his comm was off and shut down, before he let loose with many curse words in several languages. He sighed; might as well get it over with and go speak with Bones.

The Mid Bay was a quiet, orderly place. There was a queue of new crew members waiting for their physicals and they were being dispersed by a tech in three directions to McCoy, M'Benga and Chapel.  Jim saw that the line was moving pretty quickly.

Bones looked up when Jim walked in. "Dr. McCoy, may I speak with you in your office?"

"Can it wait, Captain, we're a little busy right now," Bones said, sounding a little harried.

"I'm afraid not, Doctor. I have a message for you from Dr. Boyce."

"For me?" Bones frowned, patted the young, outraged Ensign, who was rubbing the arm where he'd just stuck her with a hypo and stood. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told Chapel and M'Benga.

He and Jim went into the CMO's office and closed the door. Jim darkened the office windows and gave Bones a quick apologetic kiss. "Sit down Bones. You're not going to like this."

"What's goin' on, Jim?" McCoy frowned at him.

Jim told him about Boyce's comm call and his new temporary assignment and watched the warm hazel eyes turn dark with ire. "Dammit, Jim. I don't wanna' leave the ship. I'm swamped with work right now, not to mention leaving you here without me. What's wrong with Boyce that he couldn't get someone else to help Dr. Jasso? As if we didn't have enough work here for three more people to do. That's what we get for having arm chair Admirals lording over us. They forget what it's like to be out in the black. It’s not like I can get anyone else to come in to help M'Benga and Chapel."

Jim, with the ease of long practice, ignored the grouse and said nothing, waiting for Bones to wind down. "I have a good mind to comm Boyce and tell him off!"

"No Bones; don't do that," Jim said quickly. "Don't think that I didn't think about doing the same thing, but it'd be a bad move. If Boyce would've asked for Dr. M'Benga I wouldn't have cared, wouldn't have given it a second thought, and he knew it, I saw it in his face. He was just waiting for me to object to your leaving the ship." He sighed. "We have to be professional about this. I don't want to give them a leg to stand on about us not being able to separate our personal lives from our professional roles. You know how the Admiralty scrutinizes every damn thing I do, every decision I make. If Dr. Jasso asked for you, it's a compliment to you and to the ship. "

McCoy sighed. "I know, darlin', you're right, but I don't like it. I don't want to leave you. What if somethin' happens? M'Benga doesn't know your medical file like I do; your allergies, how you react to certain drugs, all the shit that can affect you." The now worried, forlorn hazel eyes looked at Jim. "Also, I just don't wanna' be away from you, not even for three days," he added, sadly.

'I know Bones. I don't want to be away from you either. How am I going to fall asleep if you're not there? You're my personal heater, you know," Jim said, cupping McCoy's face between his two warm hands and kissing him softly again. "My Bones," he murmured, tenderly. In his head, Jim had a rotating Lazy Susan of all his favorite things to do with Bones; kissing Bones was a great favorite, so was cuddling with Bones, then there was making love, which rated a spot all by itself; there was also showering together, having dinner together, or reading and working side by side in their quarters, and finally, another favorite, falling asleep together in their bed. Sometimes that one beat all the others.

That earned him a small smirk from Bones. "Yeah, well you're my own personal octopus. I wake up every morning with your arms and legs all wound around me." He returned the soft kiss just as tenderly.

"You know you love it," Jim grinned.

"Yeah, I kinda' do, "McCoy admitted ruefully, "but don't let it go to your head, kid; it's big enough already."

"We can talk more about this at lunch," Jim said, smirking. "I know you're very busy with the new crew physicals."

"Yeah, busy ain't the word." Bones stood up. "I'll tell Geoffrey I'll be off ship for a few days and that's he's in charge. I'll comm you when I'm ready for lunch and meet you at the mess. See you later, darlin.'"

He left the office, his tall figure striding away on long legs back to the waiting crew, and leaving a pensive Jim behind. He lightened the windows again and stood looking at his crop of new crew members and at Bones working. Jim looked his fill as the doctor made occasional comments to Chapel or M'Benga, jotted notes in his padd, and engaged the new crew in light conversation as he poked and prodded them. Bones looked like what he was, King of his Med Bay domain, and Jim watched him, his heart filled with love, pride and something entirely new; a fierce sense of possessive passion which Jim had never felt for anyone before and that he would never admit to anyone, including Bones. Nevertheless, it was true. Jim had become very aware these last few months, that Bones had quickly become someone he could not live without. He was the one person Jim trusted above all others, sometimes more than he even trusted himself; Bones always told him the truth, no matter how unpalatable or painful that truth might be. For Jim, Bones had become the home he'd never had; a shelter, a refuge, a sanctuary. His care, love and support of Jim were all encompassing, without reservation, unstinting. How the hell Jim was going to do without him for three days and three nights was something he didn't even want to think about. Jim sighed. At least he would be very busy taking all those meds and supplies to Althair, and hopefully the time would pass quickly.

Jim made his way back to the bridge. "Mr. Sulu, Mr. Chekov. Plot a course for Althair II. We're making a little detour. Dr. McCoy will be going off ship to help out with an experiment at the Science Station there. We'll pick him up on our way back from Althair."

"Yes, Sir," came from both officers.

"Captain."

Jim turned and saw a slight frown marring Spock's smooth brow. "Is this not an unusual request to ask that the Chief Medical Officer of a ship leave that ship in order to assist someone on a planetary Science Station? It seems to me that it would interfere with the smooth functioning of said ship."

"Yes, it's unusual, Spock, but when the head of SFM asks ever so politely, it's pretty much impossible to say no; as much as I wanted to," Jim muttered as an after thought.

"I must add my silent protest to your own, Captain. It is not a good precedent."

"Why, Spock? Could it be that you're actually going to miss Bones when he goes off ship?"

"Negative, Captain. However, I do feel Dr. McCoy's absence will be detrimental to the smooth running of the Med Bay."

"Of course, Mr. Spock, so noted. Mr. Chekov, what's our ETA for Althair II?"

Chekov checked his readouts. "Early tomorrow morning, Captain, 0440."

"We'll wait until later for Dr. McCoy to beam down. He wouldn't be a happy camper if he had to wake up at 0 dark 30 to beam down...even if it's to help someone out."

Uhura snorted, and hid her grin behind a hand. Jim grinned at his crew. They all knew that Bones could stay up for many hours if a patient needed him, and was up in a second when Med Bay called him for an emergency, but when he slept without any worries or had the day off, he did it completely and thoroughly, and rousing him was dangerous.

The morning went by swiftly. At noon, Jim walked into the mess for lunch, picked up his tray and food selections, then went to sit at their usual corner table. Bones came in, grabbed his lunch, and sat down. Jim grinned up at him. "What's cooking, good looking?" He patted the enticing bicep and grinned at his beloved. Bones snorted, but one side of his mouth curved up in an almost smile.

"So, tell me about Dr. Jasso, Bones? How do you know her?"

"We had some advanced seminars together at the Academy, but she already had her medical degree like I did and was hired to teach the advanced courses in Epidemiology. She's brilliant, young and beautiful too, and has done some ground breaking work in her field." Bones was open in his admiration as he ate quickly and steadily.

Jim frowned at the unusual praise. Bones was not usually so effusive about anyone. "Should I be jealous?"

Bones looked up startled. Then he smiled; the deep dimple which Jim could never resist made an appearance. His hazel eyes shone brightly, and he leaned over to whisper huskily so only Jim to hear. "If you hurry up and finish your lunch, we can make a quick detour to our quarters and I'll show you just how little you have to be jealous about." He glanced at his chronometer. "I think we still have a little more than half an hour?" He placed warm light fingers on Jim's wrist and felt his pulse rate speed up.

Jim flushed, his cheekbones blooming with bright pink color. He pushed his tray away. "Hell! I'm finished, let's go," he said. They placed their trays in the recycler and walked out of the mess, not hurrying, shoulders slightly brushing, hands lightly touching.

Jim keyed in the code to their quarters and the doors had barely closed when he lunged at Bones kissing him fiercely. "Bones, Bones," he murmured moving McCoy slowly toward the bed. He let go of the doctor only long enough to pull off his two shirts, his boots and pants and McCoy did the same with equal speed. Jim sighed happily as he pushed his doctor gently onto the bed and felt all that warm, naked, tanned skin under him. He looked down at the hazel eyes which were alight with love and longing; he kissed the corner of one high cheekbone, brushed his lips across Bones' plush bottom lip and bit it gently, then plunged his tongue into Bones' mouth, sinking into a deeper more passionate kiss. Panting, Jim pulled back to take a breath and looked down at Bones. God! He loved Bones' face, the strong jaw line, the plush lips, the wide forehead, the soft hair that fell across his forehead, and the crinkles at the corner of his eyes when he smiled. He loved every inch of that gorgeous face. Bones looked back at him for a moment, kissed the corner of Jim's mouth, then wrapped strong arms around him, holding Jim tighter, cradling him possessively.

Soon the entire world receded to nothing but the bed and the two men making love on it, panting softly, whispering words of love and passion to each other. Jim caught his breath when he felt Bones' fingers wrap around his cock. He moaned as he felt that large warm hand stroke him, up and down, fast and slow. Bones' callused thumb grazed the head of his cock in that certain way which drove Jim crazy with need and lust. Suddenly, Bones rolled them over so they lay side by side. Jim looked at Bones and saw his face alive with a myriad of emotions; passion, need, and yearning. Jim's breath hitched and he scooted closer. He aligned their bodies so their two cocks slotted together, their velvety thickness covered by Bones' hand and then with Jim's own. "Jim, Jim. I love you so much," Bones words were slurred. "Come for me, darlin'." The rhythm of their joined hands sped up as did their breathing, and suddenly they were both coming at the same time, hot cum spurting over their two hands and on their stomachs.

Their breathing soon calmed and settled, and they lay sated, uncaring of the sticky mess between them and unwilling to separate their bodies. Bones stroked Jim's back and sides gently, Jim's arms still tight around him. "Well now, was that a good prescription for what ailed you, Captain?" Bones drawled, a smile in his voice.

"More than good," Jim said, grinning his contentment, his head on the broad chest, his hand moving lightly through the sparse hair there. "It was truly an excellent prescription, Dr. McCoy, as befits the best CMO in the fleet."

Bones turned suddenly in his arms, his warm hazel eyes still dark with passion, meeting the corn flower blue ones that looked lovingly back into his. "Promise me, Jim, promise me that while I'm gone you won't be shot, stabbed, poisoned, kidnapped, tortured, mind controlled, or otherwise mistreated by anyone in this damn galaxy, 'cause I won't be here to put you back together and I don't trust anyone else to fix you except me."

Jim kissed him lightly on the nose and smiled his reassuring, angelic smile. "I promise, Bones. It's a milk run to Althair, and we'll be back for you before you know it. You just make sure you stay safe down there and that that beautiful, brilliant Dr. Jasso keeps her hands to herself! I'm going to comm you twice a day to make sure." He looked at the chronometer and sighed. "I gotta' get back to the bridge, my lunch hour is almost over, and yours is too." He reluctantly let go of Bones, got up, grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up in the sonic and Bones did the same. There was never enough time to just be together. They had to grab moments here and there and make the best of it. At least they still had tonight before Bones left in the morning. Jim bit his bottom lip as he took the lift to the bridge. Three days really wasn't very long he told himself, and there was always so much work that he had to do on the ship that he would be extremely busy when until they got to Althair. He sighed; he couldn't even convince himself.

* * *

 

1 **Epidemiological study includes disease etiology, transmission, outbreak, outbreak investigation, disease surveillance and screening, biomonitoring, and comparison of treatment effects in clinical trials.**

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dr. McCoy's dress uniform description is made up, I hope it sounds okay. I looked and looked and couldn't find a dress uniform description for the AOS Medical Corps. If I got it wrong, please let me know and I'll correct it.

**Away Bones**

**Chapter 2**

" **By the pricking of my thumbs,** **  
**Something wicked this way comes.**  
**Open, locks,**  
****Whoever knocks!"**

**Macbeth**

Jim woke to the beeping of his chronometer; it was 0600, his usual time to get up. His eyes opened in the ship's artificial dim morning light, and he felt the warm welcomed weight of Bones beside him. He yawned and then smiled as he sleepily remembered last night. They had both come into their quarters at the end of Alpha shift and decided to have dinner in to enjoy their time together before Bones went off ship in the morning. Jim had called the chef and ordered dinner to be sent and Bones had uncorked a bottle of wine to share. After dinner, they'd sat on the sofa and caught up on their day and listened to some soft jazz as Jim worked on some requisitions and Bones on last minute orders for M'Benga and Chapel. It was one of the unspoken joys of Jim's present life to just spend time with Bones, not doing much of anything, really; just to _be_ with him was enough. They had, by mutual and unspoken agreement, gone to bed at the same time and again, without words, had turned to each other, attuned to their mutual need to be close and together. Their lovemaking had been by turns, passionate, tender, frenzied, and a little desperate, knowing they would be apart for a few days.

Jim had whispered "I love you so damn much," as they lay side by side on the bed. Bones' hands had gently explored Jim's biceps and pectorals and he'd lovingly whispered words of love and desire in his ear. Jim had blazed a trail of love bites and nibbles down Bones' chest and stomach after he'd pushed him onto his back. Bones had lifted up on his elbows on the mattress and watched as Jim slipped his mouth over his cock, moaning as Jim pleasured him; he'd come quickly with a groaning shudder, carding a gentle hand through Jim's hair. Then he'd flopped back on his pillow, grabbed Jim and lifted him effortlessly on top of him, relishing the warm, familiar weight of the long, lean body on him. He felt Jim relax as the tension of the past few hours seemed to flow out of him. Bones kept up his loving assault on Jim's pliant body, nipping, giving him possessive, claiming kisses, and gently biting every inch of the silky skin under his hands and mouth. He was already hard again when he coated his hand with lubricant and prepared Jim, slowly and tenderly, not rushing, taking his time and driving Jim crazy with need. Jim had sighed when Bones had finally entered him, murmuring, "Bones, Bones, so good, you feel so good." Bones had responded with a whispered, "love you so much, darlin,'" as he sank into Jim's body, savoring the feel of Jim clenching around him. Jim's blue eyes had never left Bones'; he'd cried out as Bones wrapped his warm hand around his shaft and he'd come in Bones' hand, his body wracked with pleasure, his vision whitening out. Then Jim had flipped them over, Bones on top, and he'd wound his legs and arms tight around him, not wanting even a millimeter of space between them as Bones' climaxed deep inside of him. Then sated and relaxed, they'd cleaned each other up and fallen into a restful sleep.

Jim sighed happily as he nuzzled Bones' shoulder. In the quiet of the morning, he had time enough to consider the reasons why sex between them just kept getting better and hotter as their time together lengthened. Maybe it was because they were both men, or maybe it was because in the last three months, they'd learned so much more about each other's bodies; how to touch just so to give and receive pleasure, when and how to be tender and gentle, or more aggressive and rougher, when to take control, and when to relinquish it. Or maybe it was just because now they both felt secure enough to fully express their deep love, desire and passion for each other. Jim had lived most of his life without love; that he no longer had to, was a never ending source of joy for him.

This morning, as usual, Jim had woken up wrapped around the doctor's body, one leg thrown over his hips, his arms wound around him. Bones was face down, his long arm lax around Jim's waist. Every night their bodies just seemed to seek each other out no matter how big a bed they slept in.

Bones grunted in discomfort as he woke up, Jim's leg and arms were heavy. He wriggled to get out from under him, but the captain tightened his arms around him. "Bones, let's cuddle just a little longer," he murmured in his ear. Jim knew it embarrassed McCoy to admit that he loved to cuddle, but he could never resist teasing him about it.

Jim grinned as he nibbled gently on the raspy chin. "Bones, it's okay to admit you love it. There's no one here but me and thee, and only I know the truth; you're a cuddler at heart." Bones' answer was a growl, but Jim, peeking at his face, knew the growl was only for show. Bones' expression was blissful; his eyes remained closed with his nose pressed into the juncture of Jim's neck and shoulder. He sighed softly and settled closer against Jim, his breath warm, moist and tickling as he breathed against his skin.

After a few quiet minutes, Jim kissed his temple. "Hey," he whispered in his ear, "as much as I hate to say this, we have to get up. Are you all packed? And did you pack your Phaser and the extra comm? Your boot knife?"

Bones opened his eyes and blinked groggily at Jim. "Yeah," he said, his voice still rough with sleep. "Everything's packed, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's hit the shower and then we can go have a leisurely breakfast before you have to beam down. We're already in orbit around Althair II."

"I cain't tell you how thrilled I am to hear that!" McCoy's eyebrows scrunched together in a fierce scowl. "It's bad enough that I have to leave you and my work, but do I really have to wear that damn dress uniform?" He hated the CMO's formal uniform with the fire of a thousand suns.

"Yeah, you do. You're going as a representative of Starfleet Medical and of _The Enterprise;_ and may I add, Dr. McCoy, that you do look mighty fine in it. You can probably take it off pretty quick after you get there and get into your work blues, but no taking anything off in front of the beautiful Dr. Jasso; you hear me, Bones McCoy?" Jim frowned at him, but his eyes were twinkling.

"You've got nothin' to worry about, Captain, darlin'. I will conduct myself as an officer and a gentleman." McCoy sat up, the sheet pooling around his hips, his broad tanned shoulders bare, and Jim thought again what a fine, fine sight that was and how lucky he was to get to see it every morning.

Jim sat on the edge of the bed, blue eyes intent, as he watched his doctor get dressed. The SFM dress uniform was a soft blue with long sleeves that required cuff links; it had been tailored exactly for McCoy's broad shoulders, tapered waist, tall figure and long legs. It came with a starched white collar, a special blue belt, black dress boots, and a silver breast insignia with the medical caduceus symbol that had been around since ancient times and which was the emblem of Starfleet Medical.

"Alright, Jimmy. I'm done," McCoy said as he buckled his belt. "Now let's go eat, I'm starving!" McCoy sighed gloomily running his hands up and down the front of his trousers. The waist felt a little tight; he was going to have to up his cardio and running. The fit of the uniform was unforgiving, even if a person gained only half a kilo.

"You look good enough to eat, Bones." Jim said, eying him up and down; he was truly sad that he couldn't do a thing about it.

They walked down the corridor to the lift and Jim caught many of his crew giving Bones appreciative glances. Jim glared at one or two that did more than glance. Entering the mess, Bones was subjected to a few cat calls and whistles and his cheeks and ears turned a bright pink. "Told you, you looked mighty fine," Jim said, grinning.

"Damn it, Jim. I'm a doctor, not a male model," grumbled McCoy. He looked at the crew scattered around the mess. "Don't you people have anything else to do besides stare at a person?" He scowled at the entire room and there was general laughter across the room, with many eyes following them as they grabbed their food selections and sat in their usual corner.

They ate hungrily and after breakfast, they picked up McCoy's duffle and reported to the transporter room. Jim gave the transporter officer the coordinates for the Althair II Science Station.

"I'll comm you this evening, Bones, and again in the morning," said Jim. "We'll pick you up late afternoon day after tomorrow. Try to have a good time, okay?" He leaned in and whispered, "I love you, McCoy."

"I love you too, darlin'. See you soon." Bones walked up to the transporter pad and stood there frowning, looking down at his feet. As always he was nervous. He hated transporters and beaming anywhere in general; it was just as bad as riding in a shuttle.

Jim watched him disappear in the familiar silvery whine of the transporter beam and walked slowly back to the lift. It was time to report to the bridge and try to keep busy; it was going to be a long three days and an even longer two nights.

The bridge doors opened. "Keptin on the bridge," called out Chekov.

"As you were, everyone. Report Mr. Spock?"

"All is quiet, Captain. Space in front of us is free of ships, asteroids, and debris of any sort. It should be an uneventful journey to Althair."

"Thank you, Mr. Spock. Mr. Chekov, Mr. Sulu, resume course for Althair; best speed. We're a little behind schedule."

'Aye, Captain. Engaging Warp 6, Sir." Chekov responded.

The morning crept by, and Jim was all too aware that come mid-morning, there would not be a visit from Bones with his daily medical report. Instead, to his surprise, the lift opened to admit Nurse Chapel.

"Good morning, Captain."

"Good morning, Nurse Chapel. What brings you to the bridge? I don't recall us ever having the honor of your presence before." Jim smiled brightly at his head nurse.

"No, Sir. I've never been here before. However, Dr. McCoy gave me a job to do, so here I am."

"A job?"

"Yes, Sir. He asked me to come to the bridge mid-morning to give you this padd and he said for you to read it carefully, sometime today, at your leisure. He didn't want to leave it in your quarters where, and I quote, "it might be buried under a pile of dirty uniforms, towels and workout clothes."

Uhura at her station, snorted, and then tried to cover her giggle. Spock's eyebrow rose and twitched, and Chekov and Sulu kept their faces resolutely turned away from Jim to hide their smiles.

Jim grinned. Bones knew him all too well. "Thank you, Christine. Your job is done. I'll be sure and tell Dr. McCoy you carried out his orders perfectly."

"Thank you, Captain." Chapel smiled genially at everyone and exited the bridge.

Jim tucked the pad away until he could view it privately. There was just no telling what message Bones had thought important enough to record. It could be sexy, scolding, loving, or anything in between.

"Mr. Spock, what's the status of our cargo? Has Mr. Scott checked the stasis field around the medical supplies? We want to be sure they get to Althair in perfect condition."

"Yes, Captain. Mr. Scott reported this morning at 0900 on the status of the supplies; all is as it should be."

Uhura's comm beeped. "Yes, he's right here, Leonard. Hold on." She turned to Jim, eyes wide. "Captain, it's Dr. McCoy. He says he needs to speak with you; that it's urgent."

Jim's stomach jumped in sudden alarm. "What the hell, he just got there! Patch it through to my ready room, Lieutenant."

Jim strode to the ready room and opened his large comm; Bones' face filled the screen. He was very pale, lips pressed tight, brows drawn together in a fierce frown. "Bones! What's the matter?"

McCoy opened his mouth. "Jim." He swallowed hard and tried again. "Jim...."

"What, Bones! What! What's happened?" Jim, now thoroughly alarmed, looked at the pale face and into the frantic hazel eyes "Talk to me, Bones. What is it?"

Bones took a deep shuddering breath. "Jim...something horrible has happened down here on the planet. I beamed straight down to the lab and it looked strange; everything was locked up tight, windows barred, exterior doors sealed and strongly reenforced. Every one here looked scared, and no one would tell me anything. They said I had to speak with Dr. Jasso and that she was in the middle of a very crucial experiment. I had to wait almost two hours for her. I was feelin' pretty damn mad, I can tell you. She finally came and my God, Jim, she looked terrible; exhausted, deathly pale, beaten down."

"I calmed down when I saw how bad she looked. She told me that the planet is in the middle of a terrible crisis. Jim...it looks like some kind of plague. They're on lockdown here; a Bio Safety Level 4 quarantine. This whole thing started a couple of weeks ago, and it's spreading like wildfire. I've never seen anything like it. At first, the hospitals, doctors and nurses tried to contain it with quarantine and isolation of the infected patients, but it spread faster than they could manage and then they all got infected too. She said because the facility here handles some very dangerous viruses they're always cut off from the outside world. Thanks to the security camera vids and some comms from the doctors and hospitals, she became aware of what was happening. As soon as she realized the extent of the contagion, she and the remaining Medical professionals and the government imposed a level 4 planetary quarantine and lock down. All planetary travel was halted for outgoing and incoming ships, and no one was allowed to go off planet for any reason. Schools and shops were closed, people were asked to stay inside their homes and not go to work. She doesn't know how effective those measures have been, because no one here has been outside this facility in over a week and they haven't been able to contact anyone."

"There are six of them here. Dr. Jasso thought of asking Dr. Boyce for outside help, but she's terrified that the more people that come here, even if it's to help out, the more danger there is of this thing spreading outside the planet. She's worried that even with bio suits, it may still be contagious, they don't even know how it's spread; some of the doctors wore bio suits and they still got sick. She showed me the vids. The camera's installed on the roof of the building so they can see what's goin' on outside. You're not gonna' believe it when you see it."

"Wait, wait, Bones! She asked you to go down there to help out without any advance warning, or telling you or Dr. Boyce what's been happening? What the hell Bones! What's wrong with her? That's totally unethical!"

Bones sighed wearily. "I know, Jim. She's just not thinking straight right now, they're desperate here and she's totally exhausted and scared shitless. They all are. It's a wonder anyone is still functioning. She and the others have been working day and night on possible cures, but so far nothin'. She said I was the only one she could think of that might be able to help, and who could beam down here without any danger of catching and spreading the plague. This lab is pretty small, they cain't handle too many people here, the lab isn't equipped for that. I want you to see these vids, Jim, and you'll see why she and the rest of them are so terrified."

Jim ran his hand down his face. "Okay, Bones. Show me."

The vid came on; it was without sound. The vid view was from the roof as the camera pointed down and panned around in a 180 degree arc. Suddenly, Jim could see movement, he saw some people, (and were they even people?) coming into the camera view. They all seemed to have trouble walking; they shuffled their feet and their arms swung loosely. Their skin had turned a shallow grayish yellow, their hair hung down in clumps, their eyes were dark, eerily vacant, and their mouths hung partially open. They shuffled around and around each other and then they stopped and stood in front of the facility with their arms moving restlessly back and forth; they just stood there looking at the building, then they all turned around and shuffled away.

Jim shivered and swallowed hard as Bones' face came back into view. "God, Bones! What the hell is that? Those people remind me of those old horror vids we like to watch, those old zombie vids from the 21st century."

"I know, Jim. That's what I thought too when I saw it. It's really terrifying, and we gotta' do somethin' before it spreads beyond here." Bones rubbed his face. "I have no idea what the hell could have caused this; a pathogen, a virus, bacteria, water, food, poison, the dirt under their feet? Who the hell knows!"

Bones' words drew Jim out of his frightened daze. "All right, Bones; I get it, but first things first. I'm turning this ship around. We're going back to Althair II to pick you up. Your Away Mission is over and you're getting right back on this ship, and that's the end of it." Jim looked straight into the wide, frightened hazel eyes. "Don't even think about arguing with me about this, McCoy. Do you think I could live with myself or live with having to tell Baby Girl if something like that happened to you on that damn  planet? No, Bones; you're not staying there one minute more than I can help."

"Wait! Wait, Jim! They need me here! I need to stick around and help Dr. Jasso. We gotta' stop the spread of this thing and find a cure. What if it spreads beyond this planet? It could be catastrophic for this whole sector!"

"And we will, Bones. We will. I promise you. But there's no way you're staying there, and that's an order, Dr. McCoy. Neither you or the science team are staying there. We'll work on this from the ship. Tell Dr. Jasso to get her people ready and to bring whatever data she's collected. Tell her to notify whoever's left of the planetary government and anyone else she can reach that we're going to help them. We'll also have to notify SFM and set out warning buoys around the planet to keep everyone away. Our Science people here work miracles on a regular basis, you know that. We'll find the answer, Bones, but you're not staying there. I'll comm you with our ETA in a few minutes. Just hold on, baby, we'll get back to you as fast as we can."

Jim stood up, his face pale and set. He knew that Bones was safe inside that building, but until he could get McCoy back on the ship, he wouldn't be able to draw a tranquil breath. This plague was one of the scariest things he'd ever seen, and he'd seen a hell of a lot of scary shit. There was no way his Bones was staying on that planet, and that was that; if that meant he was compromised than so be it, he was compromised


	3. Chapter 3

**Away Bones**

**Chapter 3**

**“It’s the season of possible miracle cures**

**Where hope is currency and death is not the last unknown**

**Where time begins to fade**

**And age is welcome home.”**

**Vienna** **Teng**

 

Jim strode back to the bridge and sat down in his chair. “Sulu, Chekov, turn the ship around. We’re heading back to Althair II. I want to get back there as soon as possible.” He reined in his raging impatience, modulated his voice and gave his orders calmly. Getting back to Bones and the beleaguered Science Team on that planet had become a furious, driving need, but he had a crew to command and his Captain’s role to play.

He got up and paced back and forth behind Sulu and Chekov thinking of ways and means. He pushed his chair comm. “Scotty, make a general announcement. I want you to shut down all non-essential power throughout the ship; I’m going to need maximum warp speed. We have to get back to Althair II as quickly as possible, so we’re going to push her, and Scotty, report to the main briefing room in 15 minutes.”

There was a brief moment of silence from Scotty. “Aye, Captain; I’ll be shutting down non essential power and Warp 7.9 coming up.” He heard Scotty on the all call, notifying the crew of the nonessential power shut down. Certain areas of the ship would now be off limits to the crew.

“Sulu, punch it!” Jim ordered, as soon Scotty finished the all call.

He held up a hand to cut off Spock’s protest. “I’ll brief the command crew in 15 minutes,” he said. He looked to Sulu, Chekov, Spock and Uhura. “Arrange for your reliefs to cover for an hour,” he told them, “and meet me in the main briefing room in 15 minutes. Uhura, ask Lt. Hendorff to join us. Spock, have Lt. Hannity take the con for the hour. I’ll be in the briefing room talking to Admiral Boyce.” He left the chair, striding quickly to the lift and leaving the Alpha crew struck dumb with surprise.

Fifteen minutes later the Command crew assembled in the main briefing room. Jim was just finishing his communication with the Admiral. He closed his comm and stood to face his crew. His bright blue eyes were somber, dimmed by what he was about to share with his crew.

His CE walked in and sat next to Chekov. “Scotty, thanks for your help, it’s imperative we get to Althair II as quickly as possible. She seems to be responding well to the higher warp speed.”

“Aye, Captain. Dinna' worry, she’s purring like a kitten. Our lady will do fine this way for many hours.”

Jim turned to his navigator. “Mr. Chekov, what’s our ETA?”

“At Warp 7.9 Keptin, we’ll be there in 63 minutes.”

“Good, the sooner the better.”

“Sulu, I want you to prepare 8 warning buoys telling any passing ships to stay away from Althair II. Make the buoy’s transmissions as long range as possible. Label them Danger Priority One, strong geological disturbances on the planet, or something equally innocuous, but very dangerous. We have to keep everyone off that planet.”

“Aye, Sir.”

“Scotty, I want you to man the transporters personally. The bio sensors have to be recalibrated to the highest level possible. I don’t want even one weird molecule to get through. We’ll beam Bones in first, then the rest of the team one by one.”

“Aye, Sir. I’ll see to it right away, but why are we doing this, Captain?”

Jim drew in a deep breath. “What I’m going to show you is classified; highly classified. If anything that’s on this vid were to get out, it would create panic throughout this sector. I’m warning you that what you’re going to see is very disturbing and unlike anything you’ve seen before.” 

He moved to sit beside Uhura and faced the console. “I just got off the comm with Admiral Boyce. He saw what I’m going to show you and I’ll share his reaction and our change of orders with you in a moment.” He turned on the large comm screen and watched as the vid came on, holding his breath as Bones’ pale face with his halting words came into view. Everyone’s eyes were riveted on the screen as the vid progressed. The eerie silence of the vid made what they were watching even more ominous. When it ended, there was a stunned silence.

“What the hell is that? What happened to those people, Captain? What’s causing this?” Sulu’s voice sounded strained. “That’s the most horrible and terrifying thing I’ve ever seen.”

Jim looked around at his best, brightest, and bravest. Uhura looked traumatized, and Chekov’s eyes were dazed with horror. Even Spock’s normally impassive face looked distressed; Sulu’s usually genial face looked spooked. Scotty looked shocked and Hendorff, who had probably seen more weird stuff than anyone else as head of security, looked like he wanted to throw up.

“Dr. Jasso and her team don’t know what it is, Sulu. No one on the planet knows. They’re trying to find out; that's why she wanted Bones there.” He gritted his teeth, as he thought again of Bones going down there to whatever was waiting in that lab with no advanced warning. Bones was never ever going on another away mission without him, Jim thought grimly; that’s just the way it was going to be from now on. He was the Captain, and this was a command decision and everyone would just have to deal with it.

“Captain.” Even Spock’s voice was subdued. “Does Dr. McCoy consider it safe for us to beam him and the members of the Althair Science Team on board the ship?”

“Yeah, Spock. Bones says that the team has been completely safe in the building. It’s got an independent environmental system since the team deals with so many dangerous viruses and bacteria in their experiments. The Science facility has been in a level 4 lock down since Dr. Jasso became aware of what was happening; according to Dr. McCoy, that’s been well over a week. Apparently, this thing has spread rapidly. Bones doesn’t know too much yet, but our new orders are to stop the spread of whatever this is and try to find a cure to save the population already infected. Dr. Boyce is sending another ship to rendezvous with us to take the supplies and medicines we have on board to Althair. He'll tell that ship that our orders have been changed, but nothing more than that. Our new orders are that we stay in orbit around Althair II and use all our ship's resources and that of Starfleet and the Federation to find the cure that will help these people. Admiral Boyce has taken it upon himself to brief the C in C and some of the other Admirals, but only on a Need To Know basis. The least number of people who know about this the better.”

He looked down at his notes in his padd. “That’s all I have for you right now. We’ll find out more when Bones and the team members get here. Let’s get back to our stations until we’re in orbit around Althair II. You’re dismissed. Mr. Hendorff, please stay for a minute.”

After the crew left, Jim sat down across from Hendorff. “Tom, when the Althair team beams on board, I’m going to put them in the guest quarters, two to a room. I want a security officer at each door. We’re going to restrict them to quarters, to the Officer's Mess to eat, and to the Science labs. I want as little interaction between them and the crew as possible. I know this is going to be damn difficult, but I want you to make sure they don’t speak to any of the crew or even with the security guards. We don’t want any news of this to leak out. The more interaction they have with the crew, the more likely it will be that someone on the team will talk about what’s happened down there. Something like this will spread like wild fire among the crew, and not only will they be scared shitless, but one of them might say something in a letter or comm home or to friends. The team members will be escorted where ever they go. Make sure security is aware of the no conversation rule.”

“Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll see to it.” He shuddered. “That’s some horrible shit down there.”

After Hendorff left, Jim gave himself a minute to pull himself together. He looked at his chronometer. Bones would be back on board in less than an hour and he’d be able to breathe again. He left the briefing room and went back to his Captain’s chair. He sat there, while his crew did their jobs. Rand handed him a few reports to sign, and he checked in with Scotty again on the status of the warp core at this higher speed. Scotty reported the ship was still running smoothly and well; there was no strain on the engines at all. After that, Jim just sat and waited. He was sure that it was the longest hour of his life.

The entire bridge worked in subdued silence until finally, finally, Sulu reported. “We’re in orbit around Althair II, Captain.”

“Thank God,” Jim muttered. He turned the con over to Spock, and hurried to the transporter room. Scotty was already there manning the controls.

“Bio sensors are at maximum, Captain.”

Jim nodded and opened his hand held comm. “Kirk to McCoy.”

“McCoy here.”

“Bones, Scotty and I are here in the transporter room. Are you ready for transport and is everybody else ready? We’re going to do it one person at a time, okay? Scotty has set the bio sensors and shield to maximum.”

“That’s good, Jim. We can’t be too careful; and yes, I’m ready. So is everyone else. Dr. Jasso has uploaded all the data they’ve gathered and everyone has packed a few belongings which they’re carrying. Jim, there was no response from the planetary government.” Bones’ voice was somber. “And more bad news; Dr. Jasso hasn’t been able to contact anyone else either.” Bones paused, and spoke quietly for the Captain’s ears alone. “Jim, I’ve been thinking about this plague and I think I’ve come up with some ideas about what could be causing these kinds of symptoms. Don’t wanna’ say too much just yet and raise false hopes, but I know we can beat this. I just need some time in the lab and the help of the Science team.”

Jim closed his eyes. Was there anyone in the known universe as good at his job as his Bones? His CMO was golden! “Of course, Bones, and you’ll get it. I expected nothing less, you’re the best there is, and I promise that we’ll all talk it over when everyone is safely on board here.”

He turned to his C.E. “Energize, Scotty.” He waited, holding his breath until he saw the blue clad figure materialize in front of him. He felt the hot sting of tears in his eyes at the sight of his Bones. Jim stood still until Bones stepped off the pad and then lunged at him, wrapping him up in a tight embrace. Bones made a soft sound of protest at the impact of a solid six foot Captain against his chest; it was a cross between a grunt and a groan, but he returned the tight hug. Jim closed his eyes at the feel of those warm arms around him and the clean scent of Bones’ hair and skin as he breathed him in.

“God, Bones,” Jim muttered, his mouth pressed tight against Leonard’s neck. “I swear to you by all that’s holy that you’re never getting off this boat again by yourself, not without me. You hear me, McCoy? Not ever; and that’s an order, Doctor!”

“Jim,” McCoy breathed shakily into Jim’s hair; he huffed a short laugh. “Aye, Captain. I hear you loud and clear and I couldn’t agree more!” He pulled back and looked into the shining crystalline blue eyes that were wide with relief. “I’m all right, darlin’; I’m just fine. We also scanned ourselves before beamin' and everyone is clean and clear of any virus or bacteria lurkin' anywhere.”

They stood there not moving, holding tight to each other. “Harrumph.” Scotty cleared his throat loudly. “Beggin’ your pardon, Captain, Doctor, but we need tae’ beam in the rest of the team.” He smiled at the sight of the two; their two heads had turned simultaneously to Scotty, but their arms were still wound around each other.

“Right, sorry, Scotty,” Jim said ruefully, moving out of the way, but still not letting go of Bones. He dragged him over to the transporter console and finally let go, but he still stood as close to Bones as possible, shoulders and arms touching. “We’re ready for the next transport, Scotty.”

Bones’ soft voice identified each member of the team to Jim as they transported in. “That’s Dr. T’mor, Jim; he’s a Vulcan healer who specializes in viral infections such as Choriocytosis, which is lethal for Vulcans if not treated aggressively. That’s Dr. Seymour Corbeil; he’s an Epidemiologist, same as Dr. Jasso. That’s Dr. Sondra Tabor; she’s doing her postdoctoral work with Dr. Jasso and is one of the Techs, as are Terrance O’Hara, Samuel Levine, and Dr. Serrisa, an Andorian Epidemiologist, who specializes in Andorian viruses. That’s all the team except for Dr. Jasso.”

Scotty looked up from his console at Jim. “The last one’s coming in, Captain.”

Bones stepped forward to greet the head of the lab as she materialized. “Jim, this is Dr. Erin Jasso.”

Jim came up to her, but she had already turned away to check on her team. When she saw they were all present and apparently fine, she turned back to greet Jim with a firm handshake. “Captain Kirk. Thank you for bringing us here. Words can’t express my gratitude for your intervention and for getting us off the planet so we can find a cure for the horror that’s beset Althair II. As you can imagine, it’s been a nightmare for all of us at the lab, being cut off from everyone and everything.” Her face was filled with sorrow, anger, horror and a terribly bewilderment at what was happening to her colleagues and friends on Althair II.

Jim tried hard not to let his still simmering anger and resentment of this woman show; she had lured Bones down to that planet under false pretenses and had neglected to share vital information with Admiral Boyce and with Bones. Striving hard for objectivity and calmness, because damn it, he was the Captain, and he could hide his feelings when he had to, he saw that Bones description of her had not done her justice. In spite of the obvious evidence of strain, exhaustion, and worry on her face, Dr. Jasso was indeed a stunningly beautiful woman. She had dark curly hair, large dark eyes with thick lashes, and a dimple in her chin. Her nose was straight and slightly retrousse, her cheekbones high, and her complexion luminous with rosy cheeks and lips innocent of makeup. Before Bones, Jim would have been immediately smitten with her beauty and would have made it his business to get her into his bed, now his interest in her was purely clinical.

“We’ll do all in our power to help you and your team Dr. Jasso,” he said, watching her closely. He nodded to Scotty who leaned into his comm to call the security detail. “The _Enterprise_ has 14 Science labs. Dr. Boyce has ordered us to use all of our resources and personnel to find the cure for this plague. I’m very confident we’ll find the answer. Dr. McCoy is the best there is as you already know."

He spoke to the whole group, who so far had not said a word. “We’ve prepared guest quarters for all of you. All the rooms have two beds, and I’m afraid you’ll have to double up; the ship is a little short of guest quarters. There will also be a security detail assigned to you and your team; you’ll be escorted to your quarters, to the labs, and to the mess. Every other place on the ship is off limits. Admiral Boyce has given me orders that the true nature of this mission is secret and classified. He and I are very concerned that there could be widespread panic if the nature of this plague leaks out so I’m sure you’ll understand why you’re all assigned a security detail.”

Dr. Jasso sighed tiredly. “I totally agree with you, Captain, and of course we’ll be satisfied with whatever arrangements you’ve made for us. Now, if you don’t mind, we’d like to go to our quarters to get a little rest before we begin work. None of have slept except in short shifts for over a week. We’re all exhausted and emotionally drained. In all my years as a Scientist and Epidemiologist, I have never seen anything even remotely like this. The scope of this devastation can only be equated to the pandemic of The Black Death during the Terran Middle Ages when 60% of Europe's total population died. I’m afraid it may be higher than that already on Althair II.” She blinked rapidly, her distress showing clearly on her beautiful face.

The transporter bay doors opened and Hendorff came in with his security detail. “This is Lt. Hendorff; he’s in charge of your security detail. They'll escort you to your quarters and someone will be stationed at your door if you need anything. Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and I will meet with your team after you get some rest. I know this has been very difficult for all of you, Dr. Jasso, but please do try to rest; you and your team will work better after you’ve slept."

She nodded and stepped over to her team.

Hendorff said, “Please follow me, Dr. Jasso, ladies and gentlemen.” The security detail ushered them out and the doors closed behind them.

“Thank you, Scotty; a job well done,” Jim told him. “You’re dismissed for now, so go on and get back to the engines.”

“Aye, Sir.”

 Jim flipped open his communicator. “Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and I are going to have a very late lunch in our quarters. If you and the rest of the Alpha crew haven’t had lunch yet, call in some reliefs so you can do so, Commander.”

 “Thank you, Captain. None of us have eaten as of yet, so I will do so. Spock out.”

 “Come on, Bones. You look like shit. You need a good meal and maybe a nap. You’re relieved from duty anyway, since you were going to be on the planet, and we can’t start working on anything until we meet with the Althair II Science team.”

 Bones sighed tiredly. “I could use a good meal and some down time,” he said. “It was exhausting being down there even for that short amount of time; the team is completely broken up and stressed about what’s happening down there.” He looked into Jim’s beautiful blue eyes. “What I really need, more than food and much more than down time is just to spend some time with you, Jim.”

 Jim looked at the tall figure standing in front of him and thanked all the deities in all the universes that his Bones was back here with him. “That, Dr. McCoy, is something that we can take care of right away.”

 They walked side by side down the corridor, hands and shoulders brushing as they walked. They took the lift to their quarters, standing as close as possible to each other, Jim’s fingers tightly clutching the doctor’s blue sleeve. As soon as the door to their quarters closed behind them, Jim grabbed Bones roughly, bringing his body tightly up against his own. “God Bones,” Jim choked out, burrowing into Bones’ neck, his breath hot against Leonard’s skin. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.” He held him tightly and walked Bones gently backward toward the bed. Jim let go of Bones just long enough to pull off his uniform then he did the same to Bones. He kissed him desperately, feeling the welcomed naked warmth of Bones’ chest and shoulders against his own burning skin. Bones answered his kiss in kind, and then sucked at the smooth line of Jim’s neck. Their mouths met again, this time more urgently, hot, wet, slick. Jim reached for Bones’ hair and tugged him even closer; he felt like he couldn’t get Bones’ body close enough to his own, like he wanted to crawl inside of him. Jim’s fingers ran up and down the doctor’s ribs, then down his sides, feeling the fluttering heart under his fingers, beating fast as a hummingbird’s wings.

They reached the bed and fell together on the bed, Jim on top, still clutching Bones tightly. The doctor cradled Jim’s head in his hands, his fingers carding through the soft golden brown hair. Jim groaned, a low broken sound at the feel of those fingers, and clutched Bones’ broad shoulders. Jim sucked Bones’ lower lip, biting gently before sweeping his tongue into his mouth and exploring it deeply. They rocked back and forth against each other, naked and frenzied, seeking more friction, igniting yet more heat between them, too needy and too desperate to wait to do more. Jim shifted and lined up their cocks, feeling the silky length of Bones’ against his. He shuddered as the two rubbed together. Jim heard Bones cry out as he bucked into Jim’s hard length. Jim came undone at the sound of that cry and his orgasm rolled through his body, so strong that he saw black spots darkening his vision. He heard himself babbling words of love into Bones’ ear, telling his doctor how much he was loved, wanted, and needed.

They slowly came down from their orgasms still clasped tightly in each other’s arms, spent and weak in their post coital haze; their sweat and semen sticky between them, but neither man made a move to get up to clean themselves. Jim brought his shaky hand up to cup Leonard’s face and Bones’ nuzzled into Jim’s hand. “I was so scared, Bones. I can’t even tell you how scared I was when I saw that vid. The thought of losing you to that horror down there completely shattered me,” he confessed, words soft in Bones’ ear. “I don’t even know how I kept on working.” He swallowed hard, and rubbed Bones’ stubble gently and lovingly. “I can’t lose you, Bones. I just can’t. I wouldn’t survive it; I know I wouldn’t.” Jim was shaking in his arms.

 “Shhh, shhh,” Bones whispered. “I’m here, darlin’ and I’m not goin’ anywhere; I’m planning to be here with you always.”

 “Always?” Jim asked softly.

 “Always, and forever after that; until the time comes when we’re both stardust again,” Bones murmured. He looked into the brilliantly blue eyes shining with love for him; he kissed him softly and tenderly, savoring the taste of Jim’s mouth.

 “Bones,” Jim sighed brokenly into Bones’ kiss. The cold terror that had been in his gut, haunting him since he’d seen the vid had finally dissipated. His Bones was here, safe in Jim’s arms. His ship, his crew, the Scientists, the horror on Althair II, the whole damn universe could wait for just a few more minutes so Jim could savor this one perfect moment with Bones.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Away Bones**

**Chapter 4**

**"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience by which you**

**really stop to look fear in the** **face.**

**You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror.**

**I can take the next thing that comes along."**

**Eleanor Roosevelt**

 

Jim shifted in the bed, placed a butterfly soft kiss on Bones' forehead and carefully moved from under McCoy's arm and off the bed; he picked up his discarded clothes and boots and quietly made his way to the bathroom. Bones had fallen asleep after he and Jim had talked about the upcoming meeting with the Althair Science Team. The doctor had some theories that he'd already quickly researched about possible causes of the Althair plague. After their talk, he'd yawned hugely, snuggled closer into Jim's warmth and fallen asleep; mentally and emotionally exhausted by the events of the day. Since Bones was technically off duty, Jim decided to let him nap for a while until the Althair II Scientists were awakened. He closed the door to their bathroom, turned on the sonic for a quick clean up and dressed. He was due back to the bridge in five minutes. 

Jim stepped off the lift and saw that the Alpha bridge crew was missing and the relief crew was on duty. Lt. Hannity was at the con, and she promptly vacated the chair when she saw Jim.

"Captain," she said. "Everything's quiet."

"You're relieved, Lieutenant. Thank you for pinch hitting for Mr. Spock."

"Anytime, Sir. It was my pleasure," she said, as she left the bridge.

A few minutes later, the lift door opened; the Alpha crew had finished with lunch and we're returning to duty. Their reliefs scattered like geese, and when Jim looked around everyone was back at their stations in 20 seconds flat. He smiled to himself. His command crew hated to miss anything that was going on; whether they were on or off duty, it made no difference. To say that they were control freaks was overstating it a bit, but not by much.

"Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and the Althair Science Team are getting some well deserved rest right now, but I'd like to meet with everyone at 1600 hundred hours in my ready room. Please notify Security and Mr. Hendorff to wake our guests in time for the meeting and have them escorted to the briefing. We also need to wake up Dr. McCoy so he can attend and I'd like you to be present as well," Jim said. "Bones has already come up with some possible causes for the plague; we'll need the _Enterprise_ Science Labs to start working on them full time." Jim sighed. "I didn't get some of what he was telling me, but I'm sure you and the Science departments and the Althair team won't have that problem."

"Of course, Captain. I will notify Mr. Hendorff of the schedule and have Lt. Uhura wake up Dr. McCoy in time for the meeting."

Jim left the con with Spock for a short time in order to update Admiral Boyce that the Science Team and Dr. McCoy were safely on board. Admiral Boyce looked drained and his voice was hoarse over the comm. "The C in C was shocked by what he saw on the vid, Captain. He wants all of your efforts put into finding a cure for this plague. Whatever you need, you'll get. He also decided that we wouldn't share the vid with anyone else, not even the Althair Sector chief or the other Admirals."

"I think that's for the best, Sir." Jim shuddered to think what would happen if word got out in the sector. It would be a disaster if the sector politicians and planetary heads heard about the plague."

The Admiral went on. "I also spoke to the Captain of the _Gagarin_. I told him nothing except that I had changed your orders. They should rendezvous with _Enterprise_ this afternoon."

"We're ready to transfer the medical supplies and stores to the _Gagarin_ as soon as they're within beaming distance, Admiral. Also, Sir, at 1600 hours I'm meeting with Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock, Dr. Jasso and the Science Team to begin work on the cure. Dr. McCoy feels confident we can come up with a solution."

"It's no more than I expect of him. There's no one better than McCoy, Captain. You're lucky to have him on your ship," Boyce said.

"I know we are, Admiral. Very lucky; I'll comm you after Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock, and Dr. Jasso decide what the combined Science labs will be working on."

"I will be in my office for the duration of this crisis. I plan to sleep here." The Admiral sighed tiredly. "After this is over, I'm going to have to address Dr. Jasso's behavior during this crisis. I realize that she was horrified, stressed, anxious and very over tired, but nevertheless, neglecting to tell me and Dr. McCoy what was happening, and asking for his help without his informed consent is unacceptable. However, that can all wait until this is over," he told Jim. "Please keep me informed, Captain. Boyce, out."

To Jim's relief, the _Gagarin_ came along side of _Enterprise_ an hour before the briefing; Spock and Scotty took care that the transfer of all the stores, medicines, and medical supplies going to Althair went smoothly. Jim spoke to the _Gagarin_ Captain, thanking him for the help, and assuring him that the drinks were on him next time they ran into each other somewhere.

At exactly 1600 hours, Jim walked into this ready room to find everyone seated at the large conference table. The Althair II team looked much better, and Jim, glancing at Bones, saw that he, too, looked much more rested and alert. Spock was off in the corner of the room speaking softly with Dr. T'mor, the Vulcan healer. From Spock's and T'mor's demeanor, the conversation was not a pleasant one. When they looked up and saw Jim, T'mor went to sit down at the table.

Jim sidled up close to Spock. "What was that all about, Spock?" he whispered.

"Dr. T'mor is disturbed about leaving his promising research. He does not believe in Dr. McCoy's competence; he thinks that a ‘mere’ ship’s doctor does not have the knowledge, expertise, experience or ability to discover a cause and cure."

"What did you tell him?" Jim hissed, incensed on Bones’ behalf.

Spock face remained impassive. "I told him there is no one that I would trust more to find a cure," he said, walking towards his chair.

Jim stood there looking after him for a minute in surprise, then stood in front of the group with padd in hand. "Good afternoon. Let's get right down to business, there's a lot to do. I spoke with Admiral Boyce earlier, and we have carte blanch to do whatever we have to do for the inhabitants of Althair II.  Dr. McCoy has some things he'd like to share with the team," Jim told them, sitting down.

Bones stood and walked to the front of the table. He waited for a minute while the room came to silence and stood there tall, straight and confident in his role as CMO. He passed out prepared padds to everyone and Jim, watching him, felt his heartbeat pick up a little. Even when they'd just been friends, Jim had always loved it when Bones' skills, focus, and expertise were showcased in some way. Now his heart warmed with pride, knowing that Bones was in his element here, confident and empowered by his vast knowledge and experience; so good at his job that somehow he would find the answer to the ravages of the plague.

"First of all," Bones said, "I wanna' say one thing. I don't want anyone here to lose hope. I know you are all scared, stressed and exhausted, but we will find the answer to what's happenin' on Althair II and we will help those infected people down there. We have some of the best scientists and researchers in the Federation on this boat; Captain Kirk only accepts the best to serve on his ship, so I'm sure that if we all work together we'll find the answer."

He looked down at his padd. "Now then, I've been doing research off and on since I realized what was happening on Althair II and I've come up with some probable causes for the plague," he told them. "Please look at your padds; I've sent everything to you, and we'll go over possible causes one by one and then decide who is going to work on which probable cause. With 14 Science labs on the ship at our disposal, we should be able to proceed very quickly with our research. Mr. Spock and I will coordinate all the research efforts, go over all results, discard research results that are not promising or have proven to be null, and then we'll reduce our focus to what is promising and yielding results and everyone will then work on those."

"Any questions?" No one spoke. "Okay, movin' on then; as you can see, the first probable cause I've listed, is a brain parasite such as Toxoplasmosis Gondi, which is very rare, but doctors on Terra have seen cases and are familiar with what this parasite does. It's bred inside the intestines of cats, but it's carried by rats or rat like rodents. Toxoplasmosis infects the brain and causes dramatic changes in brain tissue which then leads to changes in behavior as well as to insanity. It's possible that a mutated strain of the Toxoplasmosis Gondi could have found its way to Althair II on a public or private ship and is now in its rodent population. This parasite can cause both the behavioral changes and the dramatic changes in the appearance of the infected that we saw." He frowned down at his padd. "The thing is, without a brain autopsy of one of the infected, the presence of this parasite or a variant form will be difficult to check for." He looked at Dr. Jasso. "Do you have access to autopsy reports from the hospitals where the infected were treated?" He asked her.

"I do, Dr. McCoy," she said, "The Althair II doctors' forwarded all autopsy results to me, so I have them and I'll forward what I have to everyone immediately."

"Good, that's very good news, Dr. Jasso. "That information will be very helpful to us," McCoy said, making a note in his padd.

"Okay, then, next possible cause; some unknown Neurotoxin that can affect humanoids and alter appearance and behavior. There are powerful neurotoxins out there that are not uncommon, like fugu, and fugu like alkaloids such as Datura Stramonium that can leave victims in a trance-like state, but the victims can still perform simple tasks like eating, sleeping, moaning and shambling around with their arms outstretched like we saw the victims do in that vid. These neurotoxins do not make their victims aggressive, they become extremely passive, also like we saw in the vid. However, unless it's an airborne neurotoxin, the big question we'd have to answer is how could it be transmitted from one victim to another?"

Jim saw nods across the table. They all seemed to agree with Bones. How would it be possible to transmit a neurotoxin from one person to the other and have it affect so many?

Bones cleared his throat. "Next, is a virus such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob, commonly known since ancient times, as Mad Cow disease; medical professionals are familiar with this virus on many class M planets where there are bovine livestock. For the most part, it's been eradicated with bovine vaccines, but that doesn't mean it somehow hasn't flared up again, or that it hasn't become a mutated virus and a much worse disease. In the past, humanoids did contract this disease from eating contaminated meat, so again it could be easily transmitted that way if a lot of meat or meat by products were infected and then consumed by the Aalthair II population. Symptoms include lack of coordination, muscle twitching, myoclonic jerks like we saw in the vid, seizures, delirium, dementia, and hallucinations. Again," he looked at Dr. Jasso, "we'll need to investigate the autopsy brain results you have access to. I have to admit," McCoy said looking at his riveted audience, "we'd be damn lucky if this was the cause, it would be the easiest to treat and eradicate."

He looked up to address the team members. "We now come to what I consider to be the least likely cause of the plague; Neurogenesis. Has there been any stem cell research on Althair II that's attempted to regenerate or regrow dead brain tissue?" he asked Dr. Jasso. She shook her head vehemently, her face outraged.

"Now, Erin, don't get mad. I've sorta discounted this one because, while regenerating dead brain cells has been outlawed across the Federation due to the horrible consequences of the process, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that one or more unethical researchers have attempted to do it again, so I'm throwin' it out there just for consideration. However, I can't think of any scenario where this could become contagious and affect so many of the population." He looked at Dr. Jasso. "Can you, Erin?"

"No, Leonard, I can't." She shook her head. "Also, I don't know of any lab on Althair II that's sophisticated enough to do that kind of thing, and that includes ours; and ours is the best equipped and sophisticated on Althair II."

Leonard nodded. "I think we can pretty much discard that one as a possible cause; too difficult, takes too much time, and way too expensive. So now we come to the last one; nanobots." He looked at their shocked, surprised faces. "To me this would be one of the easiest ways to infect the population. Consider that nanobot technology is pretty old. We've been using it for over a hundred years on a limited basis in surgical procedures and for healing skin. We've been able to use nanobots to fuse a tiny silicone chip to a virus for many years; they can travel through the body and get inside the brain and set up weird neural connections that could cause the symptoms we saw. Also, as we all know, nonobots are self replicatin' and they can transfer from host to host. They also have the ability to shut down the cerebral cortex and yet leave the brain stem intact, and that would account for the symptoms we saw on the vid."

McCoy looked around. "That's all I have. After a lot of lookin', I've concluded that one of these is most likely the cause of the plague. Dr. Jasso, did you and your team research any of these?"

"No, no, we didn't, Dr. McCoy. We hadn't thought of any of these as possible causes. We focused on bacteria, respiratory viruses, and ecological causes, all of which we thoroughly researched and have now discounted."

The Vulcan, T'mor, spoke up. "Brilliant thinking and logical deductions, Dr. McCoy."

"Um...well, thank you, Sir," Bones looked taken aback at the Vulcan's compliment. "That's all I have for you right now." He sat down.

Jim stood. "Thank you, Dr. McCoy. That was very comprehensive." He looked around at the impressed faces. "Mr. Spock has drawn up your schedules and Science lab assignments, as well as the names of the people you'll be working with. All that information is in your padds. Please remember that you are not to speak about the situation on Althair II to anyone. Our Science techs are trained to work on assignments that Mr. Spock gives them without necessarily knowing the reasons or even the possible outcomes of their research. They know we do a lot of highly classified research. Security will accompany you to your assignments and stay with you. Please follow Mr. Spock to the Science labs. I'd like for all of us to reconvene and have dinner at 8:00 pm ship's time in the Officer's Mess where we can talk without being overheard." He nodded to Hendorff and to Spock and the Althair group followed them out the door. "Dr. McCoy, if you would stay for a minute please?"

"Yes, Captain."

After everyone had left, Bones came to stand by him. Jim waited until the doors closed and said, "Door lock, Alpha 245."

"What's up, Jim? Isn't this room already secure?" Bones asked, puzzled.

"Yes it is, but that's not why I locked it." Jim said, and stepped into Bones' personal space to give him a deeply passionate kiss. He kissed Bones' soft lips, as he cradled the doctor's face, stroking the already raspy, stubbled cheeks. Bones, responsive as ever to Jim's touch, kissed him back, sweetly, warmly, with equal fervor, but then drew back slightly to look at him.

"Not that I'm complaining," he said, smiling into the sparkling blue eyes, "but what was that for?"

"Because, Bones McCoy, you are truly amazing; an awesome, awesome man, doctor, and significant other," Jim said, kissing him again, a swift loving swipe of Bones' dimple. "You were fantastic in front of those Althair Scientists, even the Vulcan scientist thought so; you gave them hope and confidence that a cure will be found; it gave me goose bumps watching you," Jim said. "I'm so lucky to have you on this boat as my CMO, but more than that, I'm so lucky to have you in my life; I just had to tell you that."

Jim saw the pink tide of color rush into Bones' cheeks as he ducked his head, embarrassed.

"Just doin' my job, Jim, I didn't do anythin' special."

Jim hugged him hard and looked into the beautiful swirling colors of Bones' eyes. "You really don't realize how special you are, Bones; how everything you do is done brilliantly; how important you are to the crew because they know how much you care about each and every one of them." He paused, and then said softly, "but more than that, I want you to know that you are extraordinarily special to me and that I love you more than I can ever express, Leonard McCoy."

"I love you too, Jim, more than anything." Leonard said, gently withdrawing from Jim's retraining arms. "But now, much as I hate to leave you, I gotta' go see how things are goin' in the labs. I'll see you at supper, darlin', okay?"

"Okay." Jim released him reluctantly, sighing. Sometimes these brief stolen moments were all they could manage, but they were all the sweeter because of that. "I'm going to get Admiral Boyce on the horn and give him the report on your briefing. He's going to feel a lot more optimistic now. I'll see you later at the officer's mess."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're close to an answer.

**Away Bones**

**Chapter 5**

**"Angels and ministers of grace defend us! Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd,**

**Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell…""**

**Hamlet**

Jim shifted restlessly in his bed, feeling cold in spite of the blanket he'd thrown over himself; he opened his eyes and sat up. He glanced at the chronometer; it was 3 am ship's time, and Bones was still not in bed. "Lights, 20 percent," he told the computer. That's why he felt cold, and _lonely_ , Jim admitted to himself. Bones' warm body next to him was what always kept him warm; made him content to stay in bed for longer periods of time. Before Bones, Jim had been too restless to spend much time in bed, and often he would just fall asleep on the sofa rather than bother to get into his bed.

In the three months he and Bones had been together, they had never slept apart from each other, and the bed had become a restful haven for Jim; it was now a place where he found peace, solace, comfort, warmth, and total acceptance. Jim was both amazed and embarrassed at how much he missed the tall body lying next to him with arms and legs lovingly entwined around him radiating warmth. He now depended on Bones being in bed with him to get a good night's sleep.

The Science teams must still be working, he thought blearily. He'd wanted to stay up to wait for Bones, but he'd fallen asleep in spite of himself. Dinner last night at the Officer's Mess had been a mostly tense and silent meal with the exception of reports from Spock, Bones, and Dr. Jasso. No one seemed inclined to talk after the reports, and they'd all hurriedly finished their meals and gotten back to work; time was of the essence. Jim had commed Admiral Boyce to give him the updates and then had taken himself to his quarters. He'd changed into his sleep pants and t-shirt, and gotten into bed, but knowing he wouldn't sleep, he'd caught up on his reports, his pending signatures, his weekly letter to Joanna, and watched an old vid favorite trying to kill more time until Bones came in. He'd eaten a snack and fallen asleep in the middle of the vid.

Bones, Spock and Dr. Jasso were splitting their time and rotating between all the Science teams and the various labs. The lab techs had been given their assignments and were working quickly and efficiently under Spock's eagle eye. They had all worked very hard before dinner and Bones reported that they'd already eliminated one possible cause; Neurogeneis. The Virtual Autopsy results had been exhaustedly scrutinized by every lab; they'd been checked and double checked. There had been absolutely no evidence of any tampering with dead brain cells. The autopsy results indicated the infected had died with their own original brain cells intact.

The door to their quarters suddenly swished open and Bones walked into the bedroom. He stopped in surprise to see Jim still awake and sitting up in the bed. Jim jumped up to hug him. Bones looked exhausted; his hazel eyes red rimmed, bags under his eyes, his shoulders slumped with weariness.

"Jim, darlin', why are you still awake?" The beloved, familiar voice was raspy with fatigue.

"I slept for a couple of hours, Bones, but I missed my 'heater' and woke up cold," Jim said, steering Bones over to the bed. "You look so tired, Bonsey,' he said, looking worriedly at the worn, exhausted face.

"I am; we're all tired, we've all been working full out, and we're really getting' somewhere, Jim. I don't think it's gonna' be long now. We decided to take a break and get some sleep; being stupid tired is a very easy way to make mistakes that we can't afford to make, and there are only the two Vulcans who won't admit to being tired. I sent everyone to bed, even Spock and Dr. T'mor, in spite of their 'logical protests'." He smirked tiredly. "Sometimes being CMO and havin' authority over medical shit is great!"

"That's good, baby. I'm glad everyone is getting some rest. Now you need to get some too."

He led the unresisting Bones into the bathroom, stripped him of his uniform, refused to let himself be distracted by the beautiful naked body under his hands, and gently shoved Bones under the sonic for 5 minutes. He went to the chest of drawers and pulled out some warm, soft, sleep pants and the oldest and most comfortable t-shirt he could find, and when the 5 minute timer stopped the sonic, pulled the doctor out of the shower stall and dressed him.

"You want anything to eat or drink before we go to bed?"

"Nah, I'm too tired, just wanna' sleep," Bones said wearily.

"Come on then; sleep, you," Jim said, and pushed Bones down into the soft bed and then straightened and stretched out his long legs and arms. Jim climbed in on the other side by the wall, stretched out next to him, brought the blanket up over both of them, pulled Bones into his arms and sighed contently at the welcome weight and warmth of his doctor. He hummed very softly and contently in Bones' ear, and kissed the frown between the doctor's forehead before finding his lips. Their noses bumped and McCoy huffed a soft, sleepy laugh into Jim's mouth, opening his eyes just a little and slowly licking and gently swirling his tongue inside the warm depths. When they ran out of air, Bones pulled back, closed his eyes, turned blindly, and shifted his body alongside Jim's until the space between them was negligible. Bones' elbow accidently hit Jim on the shoulder, and he contritely slid his fingers through Jim's soft hair on top of his head and patted him. He bumped the top of his head under Jim's chin, but eventually, after shifting and wriggling, they tangled themselves comfortably together and settled into the mattress like a puppy pile.

"Goo nigh, darlin' " Bones drawled, voice slurred, already almost asleep.

"Shhh, sleep, Bones, sleep," Jim whispered, and closed his own eyes, relaxed and warm at last.

 

* * *

 

The ship's computer which pretended to bring actual morning sunshine into their quarters, softly chimed Jim's alarm at 6:30 am ship's time. As he always did, Jim woke instantly; he was on alpha shift again today and he had to get up. He looked over to the sleeping Bones. He was face down, one arm draped across Jim's waist, the other tucked under the pillow. Jim gently moved Bones' arm, scooted carefully and quietly to the end of the bed and got off; he went to the closet found his uniform, went into the bathroom for a quick sonic, and put his uniform on in there. He walked quietly to the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee; Bones' liked good coffee and they stocked up every time they had a chance to buy it wherever Terran coffee beans were sold. He sipped his coffee, black, two sugars, and pulled out an apple and a protein bar for breakfast.

Before walking out the door, he gave the computer a soft command to wake Bones' up at 8 am ship's time. He hoped the rest of the team would also sleep in and get some much needed rest. If anything, they were more worn out and sleep deprived than Bones. He walked over to the bed, bent and gave Bones a feather light kiss on his dark hair; he didn't even stir. Jim shook his head fondly. He would touch base with Bones and Spock later this morning when everyone was back in the labs.

The morning crawled by as they remained in orbit above Althair. Repeated scans of the planet indicated everything was quiet; too quiet, reported Chekov, who was monitoring the scans in Spock's absence. There appeared to be very little activity; human, electronic, or vehicular on the planet. By mid morning, Jim was feeling anxious and restless. He'd heard nothing from Spock, Bones or Dr. Jasso.

"Sulu, you have the con. I'm going to check on the labs," Jim told him.

He took the lift to R deck where the Science labs were mostly located. Jim had received a list from Spock and Bones of the labs that had been commandeered for the Althair research, and all of them except for the arboretum, hydroponics, and engineering were now working full time on the causes and cure for the plague. He peeked into the exobiology lab in search for Bones. One of the techs looked up from her work, startled. "Captain, I'm sorry, we didn't see you there."

"No problem, Ensign. I'm looking for either Dr. McCoy or Mr. Spock."

"Dr. McCoy was here a while ago, but he left, Sir. Try the biomedical lab or maybe the exobiology lab."

He nodded to her and went on his way to the biomedical lab. Both McCoy and Spock were there. Bones was talking excitedly to Dr. T'mor and Spock had an intent look on his face, his hands clasped tightly behind him as he listened to the doctor.

"Bones!" Jim said. "I've been looking for you," he nodded to Spock and T'mor. "What's going on? I haven't received any updates."

"Jim! I'm sorry, time got away from us, but there's good news! We've eliminated brain parasites like Toxoplasmosis Gondi, or any variant or mutated forms of any parasites. The brain autopsies which were confirmed by three different labs, came back clean, and right now we're working on autopsy results for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob virus and/or mutant strains . We should get the results within the next couple of hours. If they come back clean, which I'm pretty sure they will, and if we take into account all the extensive research that Dr. Jasso's team has already done on site to eliminate other possible causes, we'll only have Neurotoxins and Nanobots left as possible causes. We're close, Jim, very close to finding the answer."

Jim beamed at his doctor. "That's fantastic news! Quick work too!"

T'mor nodded his stately head. "Captain, Dr. McCoy has led us down research paths which are, in my experience, unprecedented. You are to be commended on your staff and particularly on your choice of Chief Medical Officer."

Jim glanced at his CMO, blue eyes shining. "He's the best, the absolute best in Starfleet, Sir, and in my opinion, the best CMO in the whole quadrant."

"I concur, Sir. Dr. McCoy is quite brilliant. Now if you will excuse me, I must return to my work." He nodded politely and left them.

Bones looked after him, his mouth open in surprise.

Jim grinned. "Wow! That was quite a compliment. Close your mouth, Bones, flies will get in," Jim said with glee.

"Captain," Spock's voice was disapproving. "The ship does not have flies, has never had flies, and will never have flies. The bio sensors would block any fly for getting on the ship, Sir."

"For Pete's sake, you green hobgoblin, it's a figure of speech," Bones growled. "Jim was just expressin' himself 'cause of my shock about what Dr. T'mor said. Vulcan's are not known for dishin' out compliments, as I know all too well," he said, throwing an irate glance at Spock; his southern drawl was always more prominent when he was irritated with Spock. 

"As your immediate supervisor, I see no need to give you compliments for doing your work adequately, Dr. McCoy. Now if you will excuse me, I will return to my own work." He nodded stiffly to Jim and walked out, his shoulders rigid with a displeasure he would never admit to.

Jim grinned at McCoy. "Someone's got their knickers in a twist," he smirked. "Spock has probably never gotten a compliment from another Vulcan in his whole life, so he may be a little miffed. I, however, think you deserve every compliment you get, Dr. McCoy, because You. Are. Amazing, pretty much a total genius, as well as tall, dark, hot, and handsome. Best of all," he added, leaning in to whisper in the doctor's ear, "you're mine, all mine you are." He saw with pleasure that he'd made Bones' blush.

"Jim…," Bones protested, a little frantically, "not here! Someone from Dr. Jasso's team might walk in."

"Okay, Bones; not here….but," Jim drawled, "we will continue this later. Right now, I gotta' get back to the bridge to update Dr. Boyce. See you later, and you and Spock keep me updated. I'll have some sandwiches sent in for everyone. I want all of you to take time to eat, Bones, understood?"

"Understood, Jimmy."

After speaking with Admiral Boyce, who was very happy indeed at the positive news, Jim sat in his beloved Captain's chair for the next two hours, shifting restlessly, and tapping his console as he metaphorically twiddled his thumbs. There was absolutely nothing for him to do; he was up to date on all his reports and signatures and Scotty said the ship's engines were purring like kittens as they orbited the planet.

He glanced around the bridge; everyone seemed to be busy except for him. He had made the rounds of each station twice now. Doing it again, would send a bad signal to his crew. He sighed loudly.

After being Captain now for several months, Jim had noticed there was a sort of pattern to his days. There were days when nothing of any consequence happened, and these, so far, had been in the majority. Then there were days when too much happened; there were disastrous away missions, injuries which led to a Very. Mad. Bones., bat shit crazy Orion pirates, Klingons, cloud creatures, and Vians, accidents in Engineering, computer malfunctions, and last but definitely not least, Admirals wanting him to accomplish the impossible. It was those kinds of days that made him long for his life to be a bit quieter. Today was a one of those 'quieter' days. He had to sit with nothing to do except wait for others around him who were working extremely hard. On the other hand, Jim thought, because he was nothing if not ruthlessly honest with himself about his own contrariness, it was days like this one, that made him long for days when too much happened. He wondered just how much longer it would be before he got another report from Bones or Spock.

He shifted restlessly in his chair again, his face forlorn and downcast, sighed loudly one more time, and drummed impatiently on the side arm. Uhura glanced over at him, and her lips twitched. She met Sulu's and Chekov's knowing eyes. The whole bridge crew knew that Jim was not good at waiting; he was too hyperactive, never still, and his genius brain never slowed down; he had to be doing something all the time. For all they knew, he was probably restless even when he was asleep; she'd have to ask Leonard one of these days. She looked over, saw that his gaze was fixed on the sight of Althair on the large forward view screen, and she casually leaned over to pull carefully on one of the nonessential wires under the access panel. Uhura knew her circuits better than the engineers who had designed them. She, in consultation with Mr. Scott, had designed and streamlined their long and short range capabilities to their limits. She knew exactly how to gently and benignly undermine her comm reception; it would be just enough to distract her restless, impatient Captain.

"Captain?" Uhura turned slowly in her seat.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Jim turned to her, blue eyes hopeful, face expectant. Something to do perhaps?

By dint of tremendous self control, she kept her face serious. "I was wondering, Sir….that is, if you have a little time right now, if you could help me with the communications console. I noticed that when I commed Admiral Boyce, there was a faint humming noise in the background. I was going to call in Engineering, but rather than bother Mr. Scott or one of the engineering techs. I think you and I can take care of the problem. I think it's just some loose wiring in one of the couplings, something simple like that."

"Absolutely, Uhura!" Jim bounded to his feet, a huge smile on his face. "I'll crawl under the console and check the wiring while you listen to see if the hum disappears."

She nodded, keeping her serious demeanor as Jim got on his back and scooted under her console, his long legs sticking out from under the tight space. His muffled voice came back to her. "I'll jiggle each wire to see which one is loose and you tell me if the humming stops, okay?"

There was a veritable jungle of wiring under the console, which Uhura knew like the back of her hands. She knew it would take a little while for Jim to find the correct one. She sat patiently, while Jim pulled and prodded at each wire. Sulu and Chekov both turned and grinned at her, knowing full well what she was doing and Sulu gave her a thumbs up. Since the climb up the warp core, and the knowledge of what Jim had done to save them all, the ship's bridge crews, as well as Spock, Christine, M'Benga, Janice and of course, Leonard, were united in their constant (but very carefully hidden) quest to lighten the Captain's unending mental, emotional and physical burdens. They were very careful, very subtle in their efforts, knowing full well that Jim would be angry and resentful if he thought he was being coddled or managed in any way. So far they had gotten away with it and Leonard assured them that Jim was completely  unaware of their efforts. The Captain's well being was a responsibility they all took very seriously, happily accepted and worked towards.

"Anything so far, Uhura?"

"Not yet, Captain, try the set of wires to your left, the red coupling. I've had difficulty with that area once before."

"Here we go….let me know if you hear a difference."

She could hear Jim's heavy breathing as he struggled in the small space, pulling on each set of wires.

"That's it! The humming has disappeared. I think you found it, Sir! Do you need any tools to fix it?"

"No, I got it. The wire just got a little loose, probably during a battle or something."

"Or something," Uhura murmured very softly to herself.

Jim crawled back out, stood and wiped his hands on his pants. His blue eyes were sparkling again, and he beamed at Uhura. "That's done it, Uhura. It should be fine now."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Any time, Lieutenant, anytime." There was a bounce in his steps as he went back to his chair. His console beeped. "Kirk here."

"Jim! Jim!" Bones' voice was triumphant. "We found it! We know what caused the plague!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bones is awesome!

**Away Bones**

**Chapter 6**

**"It's all right now**

**“take the world and make it yours again.”**

“ **The World Is Yours** ”

**Song lyrics 1994**

 

Jim’s eyes widened. “Bones! That’s fantastic news! I’ll be right there.”

“No Jim, wait. We need to meet with the whole team. I’m in the exobiology lab with Spock, and I think we’ve also figured out a way to stop the plague. I’d like to update you, the team and Dr. Boyce at the same time and get permission to implement the possible cure.”

“Okay, Bones. We’ll do that. What time?”

“I’ll be ready in 30 minutes. Spock and I will upload all the data to everyone’s padds at the meeting.”

“I’ll give the order. I know this will be a tremendous relief for everyone. See you in 30, Kirk out.”

Jim informed the Alpha crew and told them to bring in their reliefs and had Lt. Uhura notify all the Althair scientists about the meeting; he commed Hendorff to tell his security officers’ to escort their charges to the main briefing room. Lt. Hannity came to the bridge again and Jim relinquished the conn to her then went to the ready room to contact Admiral Boyce for their meeting in real time. Real time transmissions could be tricky, but with enough advance notice, Uhura would be able to facilitate the process.

Bones and Spock came into the room followed, by security and the rest of the Althair team. Jim saw that Dr. Jasso looked very tired, her face pale and drawn, and that the other team members, excluding Dr. T’mor, also looked exhausted. Everyone sat and Jim opened the large comm sitting on the desk.

Admiral Boyce’s face filled the screen. “Admiral,” Jim said respectfully. “Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock have good news for us. Gentlemen?” He motioned to Bones and Spock.

Bones walked to the front and pulled out his padd. “I’ve just sent everyone the results of the research. Three different labs have verified my results and Mr. Spock agrees with my findings. We’ve found the cause of the infection and Mr. Spock thinks he has a way to effect a cure.”

There were shocked murmurs around the room and Admiral Boyce asked, “Are you sure, Dr. McCoy?”

“Yes, Sir, I’m sure. I’m goin’ to go over my findings, Admiral. I’ll forward all my research and conclusions to you so you can study them at your leisure after the briefin’ is finished.”

Boyce nodded. “Please continue, Dr. McCoy.”

“Alright then. Once I had access to all the  autopsy results, it was just a matter of eliminating one possible cause after another. It was slow and tedious work since we had to get down to the cellular and molecular levels of the dead bodies. The end result of all our research, was that there was only one possible cause for so much cellular destruction in so short a time; various tests that were conducted on the dead and that Dr. Jasso was able to access from all the autopsies the hospitals performed, proved that it was a rampant nanobots infection that caused the degradation of the organs, hair and skin of those who were infected. What Mr. Spock and I think happened is that there was some work conducted on the planet using nanobots, and that somehow the bots escaped the confines of the lab and attached themselves to one or more of the lab workers or researchers. Their safety suits may not have been adequate, or safety procedures may not have been followed or been stringent enough. The nanobots are both microscopic in size and self replicating robots; they can invisibly build or destroy anything; they’re very dangerous if not properly handled. They’re also capable of jumping from one person to another if there’s close proximity. The nonobots, by their very nature, are always programmed to self replicate, because the death of a host means the end of the bots; so they try to keep the host alive if they can, and if they can’t, they transfer to a new host. Once they’re in a host body, they can shut down the part of the brain that resists their programming, the cerebral cortex, but they leave the brain stem intact, hence the autonomic shuffling walk and arm movement of the hosts that we saw in the video. That’s how they were able to infect so much of the population so fast. There are now trillions of trillions of nanobots on the planet, and there will be many trillions more if we don’t stop them.” Bones stopped to draw breath and there was a flurry of horrified exclamations after a stunned silence.

Admiral Boyce’s voice stopped the noise. “Dr. Jasso, are you aware of any work done with nanobots on Althair?”

“Yes, Admiral. I believe one of the subcontractors hired by Starfleet was using nanobots for manufacturing tiny and delicate equipment for Althair for use in the hydroponic gardens. I’m afraid I don’t know more than that,” Dr. Jasso told him.

Boyce nodded. “Continue Dr. McCoy.”

Bones gestured to Spock. “I believe that Mr. Spock has come up with a way to kill the nonobots without harming the hosts. However, right now it’s just a theoretical model, and we have to test it to be sure. Spock?” McCoy sat down.

Spock came to stand in front of the group and angled his body to face Admiral Boyce. He stood tall and at ease, hands clasped behind his back. “After speaking at length with Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott, I believe that the way to destroy the nanobots without harming the hosts is through an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, as it is commonly called. We know that an EMP pulse may occur in the form of a radiated, electric, magnetic or conducted field, depending on the source of the pulse. We also know that an electromagnetic pulse is generally disruptive or damaging to all electronic equipment, computers, communication, navigational and medical equipment, and for our purposes it is also destructive to nanobots.”

Spock looked down at his padd. “An EMP may be transferred in four ways, an electric field, a magnetic filed, electromagnetic radiation, or electrical conduction. The problem we face with Althair, however, is that only electromagnetic radiation acts over long distances, the others only over short distances. There have been some EMP weapons that have been built and used in a limited way, missiles, torpedoes and bombs; and although expensive to build, these have been successful in creating a maximum EMP effect over a vast area. Dr. McCoy and I feel that our best course of action on Althair is to use something similar to these weapons, but dispersed in closer proximity for maximum effect. We can use all of our shuttles to get as close as possible to the infected population. I have spoken to our Chief Engineer, Mr. Scott, and he agrees with me that this is the best course of action.”

Bones stood up again. Jim could see that his hazel eyes were troubled by what he had to say. “Admiral, it’s a very fine line we have to walk in order to destroy the nanobots and not harm the infected hosts. We don’t want the cure to be worse than the disease. I feel that once the bots are disabled, many of the infected will recover, of course depending on the level of infection. Although,” he paused and swallowed hard, “I’m sure some of these people are sicker than others, and some are just in too bad a shape to recover. The longer the nanobots were in them, the sicker they are, and the nanobots will have done too much internal damage in some of the infected. Admiral, we’re gonna’ need a lot more medical staff on Althair to help with the recovery process. My staff cain’t handle it all, there’s not enough of us.”

Admiral Boyce nodded. “I’ll order three medical relief ships to rendezvous with _Enterprise_ as quickly as possible” he said. “They’ll be under your command, Dr. McCoy. Whatever you need for them to do, they’ll do.”

“Thank you, Admiral. We’ll have to triage the infected people after the bots are dead,” Bones said. “We’ll take care of the least sick ones first.” He sighed heavily. “Triage is hard, Admiral. Make sure everyone on those ships understands they won’t be able to save everybody on Althair. I’m hoping we’ll find a lot of people who haven’t been infected when we finally get down there.”

Jim stood. “It’s very possible the nonobots destroyed the communication equipment so there may be a lot of people who are okay, they just weren’t able to let anyone know. The nonobots gravitate towards electronics first, right, Spock?” he asked.

Spock nodded. “That is so, Admiral. It is the nature of nanobots to mindlessly gravitate to their own kind first, so it may be that it was the communication equipment that was destroyed first, as well as other important electronic equipment on Althair.”

“All right, everyone,” the Admiral said. “Mr. Spock, you and your Engineering teams go ahead and prepare the EMP devices. Dr. Jasso, you and your team get yourselves ready for triage work. This is going to be a massive rescue mission. Keep me informed of your progress on an hourly basis, Captain. Dr. McCoy, you’ve done fantastic work here. You have my gratitude, as I’m sure you’ll have the gratitude of all of Althair. Boyce out.”

“All right, let’s get to work people. Spock, you and Scotty let me know if you need additional help to modify the shuttles, and I’ll pull people from off shifts. The faster you can do this the better.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The group rose from the table; Erin Jasso came up to Leonard and took his hand between her own two smaller ones. “Thank you, Leonard. You have saved a planet. I’m sure no one but you could have done it.” She reached up and kissed him gently on the cheek, smiled and walked out the briefing room door.

Dr. T’mor came to stand by Leonard, his dark piercing eyes steadfast on McCoy’s face. “Brilliant, Dr. McCoy; quite, quite brilliant. You are to be commended for your unique, logical, and original thinking. The Vulcan Science Academy shall hear about this.” He shook his stately head slightly in bemusement and left the room.

“Dr. McCoy, with me, please.” Jim said, and waited for the room to empty; he stood in front of Bones, looking deeply into the beautiful hazel eyes. “Bones, Bones, Bones,” Jim chanted softly, smiling lovingly at him.

"Bones…," Jim said again, seemly reduced to that one syllable, even as his hands reached for Bones' face, fingers skimming delicately over cheekbones and down to the plush lips; he stroked them lightly. He used his other hand to pull Bones hard towards him, then traced the lines of Bones’ body, smoothing over his chest, his ribs, his back, and his arms. Jim saw McCoy close his eyes, savoring the feel of Jim’s hands, even as he grumbled a protest about PDAs in inappropriate places. Jim leaned in and kissed him, effectively shutting up all complaints and grumbles. Bones, as always, responded immediately to Jim’s kiss. He sucked Jim’s lower lip, biting it gently. Jim groaned, clutching at Bones’ strong shoulders as the kiss deepened. Finally, Jim drew back, panting softly, a little dazed. “Holy shit, Bones. The things you do to me!”

Bones cradled Jim’s head in his large palm, his fingers carding through the soft hair. “It’s very mutual, darlin,” he sighed contently, feeling the warmth of Jim’s body pressed tight against him.

“Bones, I love you so much,” Jim whispered, as Bones’ hands gently caressed and explored the planes of his head and back.

“I love you too, Jim. Don’t know how I ever managed without you, how I got through my days,” he murmured, and pressed a soft kiss on the sandy head so close to his own.

Jim drew back, and pressed their foreheads together. “You’ve done amazing work here, Bones. I can’t even express how proud I am of you,” he whispered. “Thanks to you, we’re going to save countless lives. No one else but you could’ve done it. You’re a hell of a doctor, McCoy and I’m going to put your name in for a commendation for this mission. You are such a marvel that you make me want to woo you all over again, and I’m an awesome wooer, as you well know.” Jim teased, as he kissed the corner of Bones’ mouth and smiled brilliantly at him.

Bones raised his eyebrow and opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted when the wall comm beeped; its strident whistle effectively ending their intimate moment. “Damn it to hell!” Jim growled in frustration. “I can’t even get ten minutes of peace alone with you!” He stomped over to the wall comm. ‘Kirk here. What is it?” he barked.

“Captain,” there was a hesitation in Lt. Hannity voice as she noted the unaccustomed ire in Jim’s tone. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Sir, but Mr. Scott is looking for you. He’d like you to report to Engineering at your earliest convenience.”

Jim sighed, guilty and contrite; it wasn’t Hannity’s fault. He softened his tone of voice. “Thank you, Lt. Hannity. Tell him I’ll be right there.” He looked over at Bones. “I’m sorry, baby, I’ve got to get to Engineering. I’m sure Scotty has an update for us.”

“S’alright, Jim. We’ll have time enough after all this is over. You go on. Anyway, I’ve got to get to the lab to talk with Dr. Jasso.”

“I’ll comm you there with Scotty’s report; and Dr. McCoy," Jim's eyes twinkled at him, "let’s be sure there’s isn’t any more kissing or hugging from Dr. Jasso, okay? That woman is just too damn good looking.”

“She ain’t any prettier than you, Jim. At least in my eyes,” Bones smirked at him and left the room.

Jim snorted and took the lift to Engineering. Scotty was pacing up and down waiting for him, while Spock stood in his usual patient stance, hands behind his back, watching the Chief Engineer.

“What do you have for me, Scotty?” Jim asked, nodding at Spock.

“Captain. Mr. Spock and I think we’ve come up with a viable solution to disperse the EMP without harming the population. Yae tell ‘im Mr. Spock.” Scotty waved a hand at the Vulcan. “Captain, we have 37 shuttles on the ship at our disposal. All are warp capable. Our plan is to use all the shuttles and place them equidistant from each other in a very low orbit around Althair. Each shuttle’s warp engine will be modified to emit a low level EMP surge and all will be triggered over the planet at exactly the same time. With so many shuttles emitting the EMP waves simultaneously, they will overlap in area, thereby covering the entire planet. Mr. Scott and I have already conducted several simulations to determine the power level necessary to destroy the nanobots, but still harmless to the surviving population.”

“I’ll put all of the Engineering Department both on and off duty to work on modifying the shuttles, Sir. It shouldn’t take too long, ‘tis a simple enough process.” Scotty said, looking at the schematics on his padd.

Jim went over the math and schematics in his head and nodded. “Excellent plan, gentlemen. Can _Enterprise_ help in dispersing the EMPs?”

“No, Captain,” Spock said. “The shuttles’ orbits will be too low for the ship to maintain."

“Mr. Spock is right, Captain. It would stress our engines too much to try and maintain such a low orbit and also the shuttles will be too close together to maintain safe distances from the ship.”

“Very well, gentlemen. Let’s get this show on the road. I’ll be on the bridge; keep me posted on your progress and tell me when we’re ready to begin.”

Jim went to the bridge and sat looking at the peaceful view of Althair on the view screen. He hoped with all his heart that they could save this beautiful world. He glanced at his chronometer and saw it was time to update Admiral Boyce. He left the conn with Sulu and brought the Admiral up to date on Scotty’s and Spock’s plan.

“Your CE and XO have come up with a simple and elegant plan, Captain. Here’s hoping it works. I’d like to see everything, so comm me when it’s time.”

‘Aye, Sir.”

At 1600 hours, Scotty let him know the shuttles were ready. Jim contacted Bones and asked him to bring all the Althair Science team to the bridge. After all these people had been through, they deserved to see this.

Everyone assembled on the bridge; Bones came to stand at his usual spot behind Jim’s left shoulder and Dr. Jasso stood in the middle of her anxious team. The bridge went silent as the screen view changed from the sight of the planet below them to the _Enterprise_ shuttle bay doors. The huge doors opened and one by one the shuttles left the ship, one right after the other in a long line, like beads on a string. When all of them were gone, the view screen changed again to the sight of all the shuttles as they reached stationary orbit around the planet. The sunlight gleamed off the shuttles’ skins, making them look like a necklace of shining stones around Althair II.

Scotty’s voice came out loud and clear from Jim’s chair comm. “We’re ready, Captain, on your mark.”

“Uhura, please get Admiral Boyce on line, voice and video.”

“Aye, Sir.” The large view screen split, and Admiral Boyce’s face showed on the lower quarter of the screen.

Jim nodded to him, and glanced around the tense faces. He felt Bones give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“We’re ready, Admiral. Lt. Uhura, give me simultaneous voice command on all shuttles, let’s do a quick voice check please,” Jim ordered.

“Aye, Captain.” She flicked her comm switches and each shuttle pilot responded to her voice query.

She nodded to Jim. “Voice check complete, Sir”

Jim gave the order. “Shuttle pilots, on my mark disperse EMPs; three, two, one, Mark!”

There was no sound, no flash of light, nothing to show the EMP surges. All they could do was wait. The bridge was silent, everyone holding their collective breaths.

After a few minutes, Jim asked, “Mr. Spock?”

Spock’s voice came over Jim’s comm. “Captain, all shuttle pilots have reported in. Their scans indicate that the EMP surges have destroyed the nanobots. The planet and its inhabitants are clear.”

Jim sighed in relief and relaxed in his chair. He glanced around. The Althair team and the bridge personnel had smiles on their faces. Some of the Althair scientists had tears in their eyes.

Admiral Boyce’s voice was light with relief. “Well done, Captain! Now, let’s get some medical help down to the planet as soon as possible. The three medical relief ships should be arriving by this evening to help _Enterprise_. Please thank all your people for me, Captain. We’ll speak again later. Boyce out.”

The next three days went by in a blur. The three relief ships arrived. The Althair Team, Bones and his entire medical staff and anyone else on board ship that’d had any kind of medical field training, plus all the staffs of the three medical relief ships had their hands full. Some of the inhabitants of Althair were too far gone to save; their bodies had deteriorated too much and they’d collapsed dead as soon as the nanobots had been destroyed. The _Enterprise_ and the relief ships’ crews, wearing bio hazard suits, used large phasers to burn the bodies; there was no way to bury so many dead. They had identified as many of the dead as they could, making meticulous notes so as to notify surviving relatives, yet knowing all the time that many had no relatives left to notify.

Still, Bones told Jim, as they lay in bed, Jim’s head snuggled against Bones’ chest arms tight around each other, many people were saved and would recover. Still others, Bones said tiredly, leaning into Jim’s warm hand as he gently stroked Bones’ face, had not been infected at all. They had stayed indoors and avoided all contact with the infected.

“It’s almost over, Bones,” Jim whispered, as they lay cocooned in the warm bed. “I got new orders from Admiral Boyce today. We can leave tomorrow. I’m going to take you off duty for 24 hours so you can rest. You’re exhausted.” Jim reached up and placed a tender kiss on the beloved face.

Bones nodded, too tired to refuse. He knew he was in no shape to resume his duties in Med Bay.

“What’s going to happen after we leave, Jim?”

“Dr. Boyce said the three relief ships will stay indefinitely, until the inhabitants can function by themselves again. He told me Dr. Jasso will receive a formal reprimand, maybe even a demotion, although I hope not.”

“I hope not too,” said Bones. “They were all so scared, they just weren’t thinkin’ straight. I’ll contact Dr. Boyce and put in a good word for her.” He wiggled closer, wanting more contact with Jim’s warm skin.

Jim pressed Leonard back into the mattress, his mouth hungrily seeking out Leonard's. Bones sighed happily and ran his hands down Jim's back, his long fingers seeking out the curve of his spine. Jim gave a low moan of pure pleasure and Bones smiled into the kiss.

"The things you make me feel," Jim whispered, as they broke apart. "Each time we’re together, it’s like the very first time. I…I… Bones…,” he groaned, and shook his head, frustrated; he, who was never at a loss for words, couldn’t find enough words to express how he felt about Bones, how he was everything to Jim. Instead, he leaned in for another hungry kiss. Jim was now straddling one of Bones’ legs and rubbing himself against his thigh. Bones ran his fingers up and down Jim’s back and up his shoulder blades, making him shiver.

“I love you, Bones, so very much.”

Leonard suddenly flipped them over. Before Jim even had the chance to protest the change in position, Leonard leaned over him, eyes-half closed, hair mussed, lips red and parted. Jim loved seeing Bones like this, aroused and hungry for him. He loved how Bones was always so responsive to his every touch and caress, even tired and stressed, he always responded to Jim. Bones gently caressed one of Jim’s nipples with his tongue, only to bite down on it gently. Jim couldn’t help it; a moan broke free from his lips.

"You like that, darlin'?"

Jim could only nod and his breath hitched as Bones repeated the motion with the other nipple. There had been three long days without so much as a kiss between them, and that was way too long, Jim thought, frantically. His hands found the ties of Bones’ sleep pants and he undid them as fast as he could, his over-eager fingers making quick work of untying and pulling them down. Jim canted his hips up with an impatient sound and Bones pulled Jim’s sleep pants off of him in one fast move.

Bones looked down at him, seemingly mesmerized by the sight of Jim's hard cock leaking pre cum as it nestled and curled up against his belly.

"Bones…please….,” Jim rasped out, his hips moving restlessly.

And then at last, Bones was moving, lube in hand, preparing Jim carefully, gently. As those long fingers stretched him, Jim's hold on coherency flew out the window; his entire being was centered on the feeling of Bones’ fingers, until finally, finally, Bones entered him and moved inside of him. The feeling of Bones’ cock in him totally overwhelmed him; there was nothing except those electric shocks running through his entire body whenever Bones angled his thrusts and hit his prostate just right; nothing but the feeling of Bones' skin under Jim's fingers as he stroked and held on for dear life while Bones thrust in and out of him as if he was trying to meld them into one being.

"Bones…," Jim moaned, as his hands reached for Bones' hips; fingers clutching the heated and sweat-slick skin as Jim pulled him down to him closer, tighter.

"God, Jim," Bones muttered into his neck.

Jim latched onto Bones' shoulder, lapping and suckling the warm, salty, moist skin over the indent of Bones' collarbone even as Bones increased the speed of his thrusts. Right now was nothing more important in Jim’s universe than this. Bones whispering Jim's name over and over again, “Jim...Jim...Jim.”

Jim was too far gone to respond, he could only let himself go wherever Bones took him. Then he felt Bones' warm hand on his cock, and that was the push that he needed. Jim went tumbling, falling, flying through the endless and weightless expanse of his orgasm as Bones followed him over the edge. Jim felt Bones' climax deep within him as he clutched him tightly. They lay tangled together as they slowly came down from their orgasms, panting into each other’s mouth.

“Damn it, Jim. How the hell do you do that?” Bones drew in a shaky breath, sounding wrecked.

“What, Bones?” Jim slurred dazedly; he opened his eyes and saw that Bones’ mouth was curled up at the edges in an almost smile.

“Make me feel like that, like I’m breaking apart into a million pieces. You’re amazin’ darlin’.” The beautiful hazel eyes shone down at Jim; he reached for Jim’s hand and placed a gentle kiss in the open palm.

Jim’s warm hand curled into Bones’ larger one. “Dunno, but you do the same thing to me; we’re just lucky I guess. Remember back in Montana when I told you it would always be like this for us?”

“Yeah, I remember; guess we _are_ very lucky.” Bones sighed, sated and content; his fingers traced tender circles on Jim’s chest and shoulder. “Guess I should get up and clean us up," he said reluctantly.

“No, you stay here, I’ll do it,” Jim said, moving carefully and gingerly out from underneath the sticky Bones. “You’re the one who’s been working hard for three hellish days; it’s my turn now.”

“Thanks, darlin’. I really am damn tired. It’s been a tough week; so many dead.” He shuddered then opened his eyes wide in sudden realization. “Jim, can you believe that it all started with me goin’ on a simple away mission to help Erin.” He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

Jim came back with a warm wet towel, wiped them both off and threw the towel in the hamper. He leaned down and tenderly kissed his Bones. “You know what I learned from this hellish mission, Bones?”

Bones shook his head. “What, Jimmy?” His speech was already slightly slurred with sleep.

“Two things: If anyone asks to borrow my CMO again, I’m gonna’ say hell no; find another CMO somewhere else! And two, you’re never, ever going on another away mission without me. Where you go, I go; Admiral’s orders be damned. We go together or not at all and that’s just the way it’s going to be from now on.”

**Fin**

 


End file.
